KARACHI: Police authorities sought the assistance of paramilitary Rangers to provide security to traffic police personnel in the metropolis following another armed attack on two traffic policemen in a Nazimabad locality on Tuesday.

The fresh attack came near the Board Office traffic intersection in Nazimabad shortly after sunset where assailants fired at two constables. However, their third colleague returned fire and the assailants rode away. A constable suffered minor wounds in the attack.

“The attack was responded with force by our young armed traffic constable,” said DIG-West Feroz Shah. “One of the attackers was hit by bullets fired by the constable. He managed to escape with his accomplice but we hope to get them sooner or later. The wounded traffic constable is stable now.”

The recent deadly trend in which assailants are targeting traffic policemen has claimed lives of nearly a dozen personnel within a few weeks.

Unarmed and without any regular policing training, traffic constables were later given automated rifles and pistols by the Sindh police for self-defence.

However, the move has not proved much effective as the attackers are still finding traffic policemen a soft target since they are busy in traffic management at crowded intersections amid hundreds of vehicles.

Only on Monday, two traffic policemen were wounded in an armed attack on M.T. Khan Road near the Bahria Complex.

The Sindh police are looking towards the Rangers for the security of traffic policemen. However, it is not yet clear whether the paramilitary force has given its consent to protect the traffic police constables at busy intersections.

“The request is likely to be approved by the Rangers authorities,” said a senior official citing the recent request from the traffic authorities to the director general of the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh. “According to the initial plan, the Rangers soldiers would be deputed at sensitive intersections and then if possible, their number would be increased to other city districts as well.”

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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