KARACHI: Police incur Arbab’s ire: Row over PPP hoardings
By Imran Ayub
KARACHI, Oct 17: The disagreement between the Chief Minister House and the Central Police Office over the police’s role to remove hoardings and banners put up by the Pakistan People’s Party to welcome its chairperson Benazir Bhutto upon her return further deepened on Wednesday, when the administrative head of the province lashed out at the city police chief for not following his instructions.
Sources in the police said a meeting held to discuss security measures at the CM House witnessed a heated debate between senior police officers and Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, both sides defending their respective stance regarding Ms Bhutto’s return.
“Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim had a meeting with senior police officials who disagreed with him on the role he wanted the city police to assume ahead of Benazir Bhutto’s return,” said a source close to the meeting.
“The CM was very much annoyed mainly at the CCPO for not removing the hoardings and banners. The CM also forwarded negative messages against the two DIGs and the SHOs of some eight different police stations where the highest numbers of hoardings and banners were displayed by PPP workers.”
However, the source avoided commenting on any replacement of the CCPO in the wake of his recent differences with the chief minister but conceded that a decision about administrative changes may be announced from the provincial power corridors.
Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim’s directive for the removal of hoardings and banners put up by the supporters of Benazir for her return on Oct 18 seem to have gone unheeded as the local administration has failed to follow the orders while Sindh police officials remained aloof, maintaining that it was not part of their job.
The Sindh police have turned down orders from the Chief Minister House to tear down the promotional material citing the reason that they were busy finalising security arrangements for the former prime minister. However, in a fresh move the police were found removing banners from electricity poles in the areas around the CM House.
Similarly, a large number of banners were removed from different parts of the city falling in the cantonment boards’ administrative limits. However, most of the banners, hoardings and wall chalking remained unaffected as no government agency turned up following the CM orders.
“The areas where police moved in to remove such banners and hoardings included M.R. Kiyani Road, the Arts Council Roundabout, the PIDC intersection and some parts of Saddar,” said the source.
“Similarly a few banners on M.T. Khan Road were also removed by the police force but it was a face-saving move.”
Hundreds of billboards have been put up across the city with slogans welcoming Ms Bhutto, as PPP workers are considerably excited ahead of their leader’s return after eight years of self-imposed exile to avoid corruption cases.
The twice-elected prime minister is due on Thursday after the amnesty given by President Pervez Musharraf earlier this month against corruption cases.
