Blind protesters: Hundreds come together to condemn police action

Scores of PTI, PAT, PML-Q activists among other citizens demonstrate

LAHORE: Hundreds of people staged a protest demonstration on The Mall on Thursday against the manhandling of visually impaired protesters by police on Wednesday.

The police attitude was condemned across the board and the government has vowed to probe the violence transparently. Scores of activists from various political parties including the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) participated in the protest. During the two-hour protest the demonstrators raised slogans against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the police.

Some of the protesters closed The Mall for traffic briefly before moving back to a pedestrian path across the road. PTI Lahore Women Wing vice-president Tanzeela Imran said her party had joined the protest to condemn the police brutality. She said there should be zero-tolerance for such acts. Imran was accompanied by Leader of Opposition in the Provincial Assembly Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed and Provincial Assembly Member (MPA) Saadia Suhail.

Minhajul Quran Nazim-i-Lahore Hafiz Ghulam Farid said the incident was the latest example of police force being used against the people. He said the people had the right to demonstrate for their rights in a democracy. Farid said the government would become more aggressive if its actions were not publicly decried.

Several people were seen protesting the arrest of a journalist for alleged smuggling. Youth Parliament chairman Abrarul Haq said the government had made a habit of using force against citizens. He said the public outcry over the incident might not make the government budge as it had not been democratically elected. Haq said such behaviour would not be tolerated for long as people had become aware of their rights. He said the force of public opinion would compel the government to mend its ways.

Youth parliament executive director Israrul Haq said the police action had exposed the government’s commitment to good governance. He said it was pathetic that citizens had to stage protest demonstrations against unprovoked police brutality.

Wheelchair-bound Rehmanullah, a hawker, said images of the incident had left him disgusted. He said those protesting on Wednesday had been attacked by uniformed Gullu Butts. Rehmanullah said he had never witnessed such violence against the physically challenged in the nation’s history.

Separately, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan strongly condemned the violence against the visually impaired protesters.

The commission said the action had unveiled the savagery masquerading behind baton-wielding face of authority in the Punjab. The HRCP said the demonstrators had not turned violent.  The commission said the government should be ashamed of the incident and should not try to cover it up by relieving a few policemen of their duties or ordering one of its infamous inquiries.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5^th, 2014.