ISLAMABAD: A survey by the capital administration to assess the number of participants in the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) sit-in has belied the figures given by the local police during the last over 40 days.

After the survey conducted by officials led by Assistant Commissioner Secretariat Zulfiqar Haider, the chief commissioner Islamabad and the inspector general of the capital police came hard on Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Special Branch Waqar Chohan during a meeting and asked him to explain why his department had been giving wrong figures to the government.

Also read: Religious duty and loyalty pull PAT workers in sit-in

It may be noted that the Special Branch in its reports had been putting the number of the PAT sit-in participants at less than two to three thousand people.

Senior officers come down hard on police for coming up with wrong figures

However, the capital administration officials put the number of the sit-in participants on Monday-Tuesday night at around 10,000 to 12,000.

A source close to the development said Special Branch officials had informed their AIG that since the capital police were attacked and beaten up by the PAT workers a few weeks ago, no official dared to enter the participants of the sit-in.

The AIG was quoted as saying during the meeting: “Had any of the Special Branch officials entered the PAT camp to assess the strength of the participants and other facilities, they would have also been beaten up.”

However, the district administration managed to send their officials into the PAT camp to ascertain the number of participants, tents, ambulances, dispensaries, generators, water tankers, mobile toilets, food and tea stalls.

And the number of tents counted during the survey was 1208. Of the total tents, 539 were affixed at D-Chowk, 300 near the Cabinet Chowk, 272 Secretariat Chowk and 50 erected by PML-Q and MWM at D-Chowk near the metro bus project trenches.

The survey found seven dispensaries – six being operated by PAT and one by MWM - at the venue.

Three mosques were also established in large canopies at D-Chowk, Cabinet Block, and Parliament Lodges.

Nine private ambulances of Al-Khidmat and other relief foundations were also stationed there. The survey also found eight electric generators, though six of them were functional. Four amplifiers on mobile vehicles, five water tankers, seven mobile toilets and 50 to 60 tea and food stalls were also found there.

In addition, two donation camps were established at the PAT camp. Water pipelines were broke from two points near a greenbelt outside the PTV building.

A similar survey by the district administration was expected to be conducted at the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) camp on Tuesday night.

It may be noted that the government has already faced embarrassment and could not chalk out effective strategy to counter the resistance offered by the protesters when the opposition party workers clashed with the police on August 30 while marching towards the Prime Minister House.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2014