LAHORE, April 13 Instead of being available to the public at its designated place of duty, a Rescue1122 ambulance is witnessed stationed at the private Lahore Polo Club during all matches to meet any emergency, Dawn has learnt.

The Lahore Polo Club is a members-only establishment situated next to the Racecourse Park.

With a hefty annual fee of over Rs100,000 and thoroughbred horses, some of them costing up to Rs1.4 million, it is considered the playground of the city's elite. Even spectators' admission to the club is restricted to a select few.

According to sources within the club, the presence of the ambulance - one of the 20 assigned to the city - is a favour by Rescue 1122 Director-General Dr Rizwan Nasir who is often seen acting as a chief guest during tournaments.

A club official said “On match days, we have an ambulance because it's a risky sport. Sometimes there are no injuries, sometimes there are two or three.

The injured players are taken to the (nearby) Services Hospital for treatment.” According to the club's literature “Polo, the 'king of games' has been played here for centuries by Kings, Emperors, Rulers, Sultans, Princes, Nawabs and Maliks.”

Rescue 1122 spokesman Faheem Jahanzeb stated the ambulance parked at the club was for the residents of surrounding area as well and not for the club members alone.

He, however, conceded the ambulance was only present on match days. Dr Rizwan Nasir was not available for comment. Irfan Ali Hyder, club secretary, admitted the ambulance was available to the club, but said he did not wish to comment further on the issue.

Prof Rasul Baksh Rais, Head of Social Sciences at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) observed “The uneven way in which we allocate our state resources to ensure they are at the call of the upper crust shows the type of elitist culture we have. It goes against the idea of citizenship and the notion that we are all equal.” — ISSAM AHMED