Although black and blue from head to toe, police personnel at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) are “determined to keep fighting the good fight”. Over 155 police officials reportedly suffered serious injuries in clashes with Azadi and Inqilab marchers on Constitution Avenue.
“My wounds are badges of honour. They don’t discourage me. They motivate me to continue on my mission to protect the people of my country,” said Asmatullah Junejo, the newly-appointed Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations.
Talking to The Express Tribune in the Pims surgical intensive care unit (ICU), Junejo, nicknamed Dabang by his colleagues due to his courage, said, “It is honour for all of us that our injuries came while we were protecting state buildings which are national assets.”
Junejo was injured less than 24 hours after taking charge as Operations SSP.
Recalling the incident, he said, “I was leading 215 policemen at Constitution Avenue. We arrested two protesters who were trying to storm the Kohsar Complex and handed them over to my officials. The next moment, I was left with 18 police personnel when a group of protesters attacked me.”
They beat him with batons and stones, due to which he suffered serious head injuries and minor wounds on his arms and legs.
“My head started bleeding...I tried to free myself but after a few minutes I lost consciousness,” he said.
He denied the allegation that the police used firearms to disperse the protesters.
“We had no such [lethal] weapons and were ordered to disperse protesters using teargas shelling,” said Junejo.
On a lighter note, the SSP said he does not have a public Facebook or Twitter account and that the operators of any such accounts have no affiliation with him.
Meanwhile, a few doors down from the surgical ICU, some policemen are resting in the general surgery department.
Among them is Bashir Ahmed, 28, a Railway police official from Karachi who was deputed in the protest zone.
He suffered head injury after protesters pelted stones at him. He is a father of two --- a six-year-old son and a three-month-old daughter.
“I miss them badly but cannot bring them here as I cannot afford to pay for their travel from Karachi,” said Ahmed, who has been stationed in Islamabad for over a month.
He said he was mentally-prepared for this and considered the injury a mark of success as it showed he did his best to secure state buildings.
A few beds away is Mohammad Iqbal, an Islamabad police official with over 24 years of experience. He is a father of four children, all of whom are at home in Sihala.
“Protesters attacked me just after they attacked SSP Junejo. they dragged me some distance and beat me using batons with nails on them…I thought I was going to die right there. But then they put me in one of their ambulances and took me to Pims,” said Iqbal, adding that they kept hitting him while onboard the ambulance.
He said that while beating him, protesters repeatedly said, “Why have you come here, you deserve to be beaten up”.
But he was not worried about going back to work. “Such incidents are part of our job description,” he quipped.
Amjad Shah, who is also serving in Islamabad police, suffered heart attack while being thrashed by protestors in front of PTV Headquarters.
“I was pleading, ‘I am suffering from chests pain please stop’, but they showed no pity on me and kept hitting me,” he said.
Shah required stents to keep him alive.
While talking to The Express Tribune, Pims spokesperson Dr Ayesha Ishani said the hospital had treated around 100 policemen who were injured in the clashes and 11 of them are still admitted.
She said most of them had severely injuries but they insisted on being allowed to leave the hospital to rejoin their brothers-in-arms.
The spokesperson further said that the Operations SSP is recovering and will soon be shifted to a private ward.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2014.
COMMENTS (4)
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The protesters were not trying to storm the building, their leaders gave clear instructions on loud speakers to only walk to and sit in, in front of these 'institutions' which house such wonderful and honourable people.
Beating innocent people, women, children and family's is not actually anything to be proud of at all.
The fact that the railway police officer from Karachi has no money is because it is these very individuals he is trying to protect that have taken his share.
You only have to look at the fact that Nawaz Sharif wears a watch worth 46 crore, containing within it a piece taken from the moon to understand how much he cares about the state of his nation.
http://apnidharti.com/pm-nawaz-sharif-owns-meteoris-watch-costs-4-6-millions/
These police officers are mistaken, they are confused, they do not realise that the people they think are their enemies are in fact protesting for the rights of all Pakistanis, including these police officers, however, the politicians are very crafty in making poor Pakistani (in uniform) attack poor Pakistani (not in uniform) and vice versa.
Democracy is not going out to tick a piece of paper with 4 or 5 names on it and pushing it through a large wooden box placed on a table. Democracy is about equal rights for all, higher taxation for the rich and welfare benefits for the poor, medical assistance for all, legal assistance for all....in one word democracy is equality and there are few countries in the World that are as unequal as Pakistan.
These politicians know all this and this is what they are worried about. They have seen the democracy in the UK, Europe and US and they do not like it, because people are approximately equal, with limited variation, there is no one with supreme power and no one who is not heard. They do not wish to live like that, they aspire to be the kings and queens, the princes and princess such as those seen in the Middle East, at the cost of a nation living hand to mouth.
Is this Democracy? Is this what Islam teaches us?
What will happen to these people in their graves and the next world only Allah knows, as this life is short, but a mere dream, an examination for the real life. They are the real fools who think they and their forthcoming generations will live happily but they are only setting themselves up for destruction in the hereafter.
And for all those who support them, wake up and follow the teachings of Islam as your guiding principle, do not be hoodwinked by these individuals and if you already understand what I am saying then stop living a lie as Allah knows what's in your heart and stand by the truth, the truth will set you free. Ameen
Peaceful Protestors indeed. Hats off to the policemen .
@Hushmat: It is due to the courage of the police that these violent protesters have been exposed for the criminals they are. The peaceful majority in Pakistan want nothing to do with these anti state protests and have nothing but contempt for the ways of Tahirul Qadri and Imran Khan now.
@SSP ASMATULLAH - Thanks for showing such courage; I hope the rest of police force joins you in showing at least half the courage, respect, determination and dedication you showed. Get well soon. We need you to be an example to the entire force...