I WOULD like to draw the attention of the authorities concerned to the issue of unnecessary VIP protocol.

A security for government officials and army officers is acceptable to some extent, but the problem it creates for the common people is the issue which no authority bothers to ponder about.

Following such protocols, the local heads like district police officers and councillors are also following them.

Three days back I was going to university, a distance I usually cover in 15 minutes at most. As I was on the main road, suddenly some policemen came in front of me and stopped all traffic. After some time I saw a caravan of at least five SUVs, followed by police vehicles, passed and for more than half an hour all the traffic was at a standstill. There were school vans in the traffic and an ambulance which kept on blowing its siren but to no use.

We are used to hearing the news of deaths in ambulances in the traffic jam just because of some security for these VIPs. I want to ask whether those officials are there to serve us or is it the vice versa?

We know that security condition in our country is not ideal but giving such protocol to some official is not acceptable by any means. They can move freely with sirens on their vehicles with just one police vehicle in front of them for their security.

Aamash Nadeem
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2018