Dilapidated: Pindi’s oldest police stations condemned to death

Historic structures housing three police stations may soon become history.

RAWALPINDI:

Some cultures preserve history, others destroy it. Though the three oldest police station buildings in Rawalpindi may not be architecture wonders, they would certainly qualify for preservation as heritage monuments instead of being razed.

The police stations — City, Saddar Bairuni and Ratta Amral — were all built more than 125 years ago and have witnessed their share of historical events. Even the files inside have stories to tell, with the case files of both assassinated former prime ministers stored here.

During a visit to each of the three police stations, The Express Tribune learnt that the roofs all leak when it rains, and the old records have been severly water-damaged.

Meanwhile, the offices, lock-ups and washrooms in the buildings are an eyesore.

Interestingly, the buildings of the City and Saddar Bairuni police stations are situated in the jurisdictions of other police stations, and complainants are often confused as to which police station to go to when lodging complaints.

The building of the Saddar Bairuni falls in the Civil Lines police area, while the City Police Station building is in the limits of the Gunjmandi Police Station, the reason being that Civil Lines and Gunjmandi stations were established much later to cater to the needs of the growing population.

The station house officer (SHO) of the Saddar Bairuni Police Station, which was established in 1862, said that it initially provided services to the people of rural Rawalpindi, but later, with the establishment of other police stations, some areas went to their jurisdictions.

Currently, 51 villages fall in the jurisdiction of this police station, which also has three chowkis - in Renal, Adiala and Girja.

The City Police Station, established in 1886 and situated in Raja Bazaar, is an unusual building with a checkered history. Though tragic for the nation, this police station has the distinction of being host to the FIRs and case records of assassinated prime ministers Liaquat Ali Khan and Benazir Bhutto.



It was originally called D Division Police Station, but later in the 70s, its name was changed and to City Police Station. Old city areas including Liaqat Bagh, Iqbal Road, China Market and Imperial Market fall in the limits of this station.

Another important case of our checkered history, the firing at an opposition rally led by National Awami Party leader Wali Khan at Liaqat Bagh in 1973 — where more than a dozen people were killed and scores injured — was also registered with this police station.

“The cases of Liaqat Ali Khan and Wali Khan are very old. We don’t have any new information about them,” joked DSP City Circle Raja Taifoor Akhtar when asked to provide details on the two older cases.

Ratta Amral Police Station is also in a dilapidated condition and may collapse anytime.

Talking about the dilapidated buildings, DSP Akhtar said that the structures have become unsafe for use. “Now the government has decided to raze the said buildings. Soon, we will have new police stations as arrangements are being finalised to demolish the old buildings,” he said.

When contacted, a Rawalpindi police spokesman confirmed that the buildings in question would soon be demolished. He said the government has allocated funds for establishing new police stations.

“These buildings are in dilapidated condition and can collapse anytime. That is why we are going to raze them”.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2013.