ISLAMABAD: Police personnel on security duty at the sites of the sit-ins staged by the PTI and PAT seem to be fed up with their long hours duties.

During the last three days, over 400 police personnel were found disappeared from their places of duty at the Red Zone. Besides, some of the senior police officers have either gone on leave or were found not available at their duty points.

A senior police official on the condition of anonymity told Dawn that over 400 personnel from the Punjab police had disappeared from the high security area.

When the in-charges of the policemen were asked about the whereabouts of the policemen, they claimed that the officials had fallen ill.

“However, only about 100 of the policemen were actually ill and needed medical rest,” the officer said, adding the remaining policemen had left for their stations in Punjab without informing the authorities concerned.

He said the office of the inspector general of the capital police had been approached with a request to contact the Punjab police to take action against the officials. He said action was also sought against the in-charges of the policemen in the capital city for their failure to stop the officials from leaving their duty spots.

Similarly, a deputy superintendent of the capital police was found absent from his duty point. “He has only been communicating with his senior officers through the official wireless set from his office or home since August 15.”

Likewise, a superintendent of police went on leave when he was asked to perform duty at the Constitution Avenue.

“Weather, unhealthy conditions, long duty hours and late delivery of meal seem to be the reasons behind the policemen’s shirking from duty,” he said.

About 23,000 security personnel – 6,063 from the capital police, 3,000 from the Frontier Constabulary, 6,860 from the Punjab police, 4,687 from Punjab Constabulary, 1,015 from AJK police, 942 from railway police and 280 from Punjab Elite Force – have been deployed in the capital.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2014