VIP movement: Sehwan waits for the president for two days but to no avail

Private schools and hospitals remain closed due to strict security measures.

HYDERABAD: An ‘undeclared’ curfew was enforced in Sehwan, Jamshoro, as the town prepared to host President Asif Zardari during his visit to the shrine of Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar on Wednesday.

Wednesday was the second day in a row that the President was scheduled to visit the town but his plans were changed at the last minute. Despite the change of plans, the law enforcers kept the town’s roads deserted till late afternoon.

The highly stringent security arrangements also saw roughing up of two television cameramen - KTN’s cameraman Ashraf Autar and Express News’ Akhtar Solangi - who were detained for over an hour at the Sehwan police station. The police, acting on the orders of plain-clothed security officers, also took away their digital video cassettes.

“We were recording the desolate streets nearly a kilometre away from the shrine near Sehwan Degree College when the policemen pushed us, misbehaved with us and snatched our cameras,” said one of the cameramen. They were later released after the reporters staged a protest outside the police station.

The devotees staying at the shrine were forced to leave around 5am in the morning and were not allowed in till after 3pm, when the President’s visit was cancelled and the security was withdrawn. “We had to return to Bahawalpur after paying respects at the shrine by late Wednesday night, but it doesn’t seem possible now,” complained Ghulam Shabbir, a devotee who had come along with his family on a bus from 600 kilometres away. Instead of visiting the shrine, the family spent the whole day at a hotel on the Indus Highway, about two kilometres away from the shrine. The security also affected the educational institutions. Sehwan Degree College, Sehwan Polytechnical Institute and many other private and government schools were shut. Although the town’s taluka hospital was open, private hospitals and clinics were closed. “We have been told that we will have to keep the school closed on Saturday as well because the President’s visit has bee rescheduled,” said a principal of a private school.

Meanwhile, SSP Jamshoro district Farrukh Bashirm, who usually looks after VIP security protocol, was removed from his post around two or three days ago. The new SSP Usman Ghani said he took charge Wednesday evening and was not looking over the President’s security arrangements. According to him, SP Headquarters Wasee Hyder was in-charge, but Hyder was not available for comments. ASP Tariq Ali said he was in a meeting and would get back later.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2013.