“All of them claim that they are the most innocent and civilised citizens when they are arrested,” sneered a policeman as 10 men were hauled off with bottles of petrol at Native Jetty Bridge on Friday.
It was a time-coordinated surge on the bridge, with young boys strategically placed ahead of the mob. The aim was to reach the US Consulate on Mai Kolachi. Rallies from Mauripur Road, Keamari and MA Jinnah Road were prevented, however, from crossing the bridge as all possible routes to the American consulate were blocked.
“We have 50 million idle men, and they’ve gotta do something with their time, especially if you give them a national holiday,” quipped one policeman.
The protesters attacked from all three directions simultaneously and made it difficult to control the situation but once the police held their positions and charged towards the protesters they were left with no choice but to run away leaving behind their slippers, sticks and flags. Then the hide and seek game lasted till around 7:30pm.
The police were encircled from all sides except one route towards the US Consulate. Over 2,000 tear-gas shells were used besides thousands of bullets.
Police personnel deployed on MT Khan Road were not aware what was happening on the other side. “Our jawans have been deployed here since morning and have not eaten. We don’t have any contact with our family because the mobile phone services are jammed.”
“Do we have a constable named ‘Terry Jones’ in the force,” asked a senior police official. “I’m very disappointed with our people.”
An eight-storey bank building was ransacked and then set ablaze by protesters leaving a few security guards trapped inside. Neighbours heard them screaming and informed the authorities. “I snatched three bottles filled with petrol from the miscreants, tried my best to stop them from igniting the building,” said Faisal, a resident of a nearby building. “I had to run for my life when they opened fire and the flames are enough to tell the rest of the story.”
Fortunately, the fire brigade vehicles and snorkels reached in time.
“They have ransacked the bank, took away whatever they could and I’m sure their parents would be very proud of their efforts in the name of Namoos-e-Risalat,” said another police official.
Constable Muhammad Tufail was shot in the abdomen and succumbed as the mob did not allow the ambulance through. Constable Zeeshan, deployed at Sher Shah police station, was shot in the shoulder.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 22nd, 2012.
1714129906-0/Clint-Eastwood-(1)1714129906-0-270x192.webp)
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ