Tensions have escalated as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police personnel were arrested during recent protests by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) against the federal government. At least 11 KP police officers and 41 Rescue 1122 employees were detained by Punjab police for participating in a protest rally led by KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.
This crackdown comes as the federal and Punjab governments have taken a strong stance against PTI workers who marched into Islamabad for the rally. The federal capital has witnessed unrest due to these protests. Authorities have resorted to firing tear gas and erecting containers to block the march.
In addition to the arrests, 22 vehicles belonging to Rescue 1122, the Peshawar Development Authority, and Local Government were impounded. “As many as 17 vehicles of Rescue 1122 have been seized,” an official from the service reported. These vehicles included ambulances and fire trucks that the provincial government had provided for emergency services.
There were also vehicles carrying heavy machinery intended to remove blockades on the route to Islamabad. Families of several Rescue 1122 personnel arrested in Punjab and Islamabad have threatened to protest outside the service’s headquarters if their loved ones are not released by today.
The PTI leadership had instructed various departments to supply ambulances and vehicles for emergencies and to clear roadblocks on the way to Islamabad. A large number of police officers, along with official vehicles, typically provide security for the chief minister and cabinet members during their travels.
Many officers were accompanying the chief minister and cabinet members during their march to the capital. “Some of these policemen have been arrested in Islamabad and other districts while they were providing security,” an official stated. Policemen assigned to protect the chief minister are in a difficult position in this situation.
“You have to provide security to the chief executive of a province wherever he goes,” an official explained, noting that officers cannot decline security duties, whether in KP or outside the province. This situation is reminiscent of an incident a couple of years ago when the Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister faced clashes with Punjab police during a protest at Zaman Park.
On Sunday, numerous PTI protestors breached the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly building in the Red Zone during an ongoing session. Heavy police contingents were deployed near the Suri Bridge, but they could not prevent PTI protestors from entering the assembly.
The KP police force is on high alert due to frequent attacks on its members and facilities in southern districts and other areas. The force has already lost over 100 policemen in more than 228 attacks in the past nine months.
