That the state has mismanaged the talks with the proscribed outfit Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) is undoubtedly a policy failure of the incumbent government. The federal ministers have given conflicting statements with the narrative shifting from ‘the demands have been met’ to ‘TLP will now be dealt as a militant outfit.’ While it is too early to say what the future of the banned group would look like, the future of another group, who has been associated with the protests in Lahore does look bleak. It is the Lahore police, who is being mocked by their own circle, for its failure to curb the rally.
The TLP that enjoys a majority in the provincial capital has held the city hostage since the past week with the police force unable to curtail their movement. It is a well-known fact that the law enforcement agency in Lahore is one of the largest in the country with over thousands of policemen in the force. To aid the existing force, a dolphin squad was also announced in 2016. In fact, in February this year, the Ababeel Squad was also launched in order to control street crimes and the law-and-order situation in the province. But despite the disposal of such a large contingent, the police force had miserably failed to halt the ongoing the TLP rally.
This is not to say that the Lahore police did not stand their ground, especially considering that they lost at least four men while hundreds were injured. But they did seem defeated. And this is evident from the fact that the federal government resorted to the deployment of rangers for 60 days as marchers ran riot without any remorse. It is then important for the provincial government to look into why the force was unable to act effectively. And if it was on the behest of the government’s indecisiveness, then it must be made clear to save the police force from further scrutiny and humiliation.
The police force in Punjab has, unfortunately, already been under heightened political influence owing to the frequent shuffling of its men on the top that it has affected the morale of the policemen adversely. For the men in uniforms and those on the streets they are appointed to serve, the authorities concerned need to devise a pragmatic strategy. Adding more men or squads would serve no purpose if any extremist group is allowed to run havoc whenever it wants.
