LAHORE, Jan 4: Despite thick fog blanketing the city for the last few days, police continue to harass motorists at pickets set up on all major roads.

As most of police pickets are set up in the dark corners of the roads, the motorists are often surprised by policemen who appear from nowhere signalling them to stop for a thorough “body and vehicle” search at more than one place. Motorcyclists are special targets of law enforcers at such points as all of them are literally considered and treated as criminals and terrorists by the police.

A commuter, Qasim, told Dawnon Saturday that he had to stop for police search at more than half a dozen places every day on his return home at Township from Gulberg at around 1am.

He said he was shocked to see policemen at various pickets during the thick fog because he was under the impression that they (police) might not set up pickets at least in such cold weather and fog.

“Either the police have become too responsible to believe or they find no other easy way to mint money,” Qasim said.

This reporter has received a number of complaints from commuters about the police harassment at different pickets which has been intensified during foggy nights. They complain that the police are only interested in making money on the pretext of checking the vehicles.

The police have set up pickets on a permanent basis in the areas like Firdous Market, Gulberg, FCC Road, Kalma Chowk, Marrian Chowk and School Stop (Faisal Town), Akbar Chowk, Butt Chowk (Johar Town), Naqsha Stop (Muslim Town), Shah Di Khoi (New Campus), Canal View Housing Society, outside the Model Town Park, C-Block and Link Road Model Town, A-One Sector Township, College Road (Township), Poonch Road, Gowalmandi, Nonarian Chowk, Gulshan-i-Ravi, Main Market (Samanabad), Bhatti Chowk, Lohari Gate, Taxali, Ik Moria Pul, Misri Shah, and Shadbagh.

On the other hand, police officials always come up with the excuse that the pickets are necessary for the safety of people and to catch criminals. However, according to some press reports, the police have seldom succeeded in rounding up criminals on such pickets.

According to the commuters, the police pickets can serve the nation only if the policemen focus on searching suspected vehicles instead of teasing common citizens. They say that in most cases the police mobile squads do not bother signalling to stop speeding vehicles and chase them.

Though the police mobile squads are assigned to petrol on the important city roads, they prefer setting up pickets.

The police not only search vehicles and check documents but also inquire its drivers to show licence. If a driver fails to produce licence, they threat him with taking his vehicle to a nearby police station. To avoid the hassle, the commuter has to pay between Rs200 to 500.

The Lahore High Court had also termed the police pickets illegal, directing the authorities concerned that the citizens should not be harassed at police pickets.

Punjab IG Masud Shah in his statement had said that measures were being taken to ensure that people were not harassed at the police pickets. — Reporter