Let there be a code of conduct

Note: All photos above are property of various news agency and are used in good faith to support the view point

In recent past, there has been much violence in our country – ostensibly by a revolutionary self-styled cleric. Many innocent support of the cleric died while scores were injured. Likewise, in Islamabad a standoff between his workers and police not only left many protesters and policemen seriously injured, the Islamabad airport almost came under a take-over situation, which resulted in diversion of cleric’s plane of a foreign airline to Lahore. And there too, the cleric and his supporters kept the aircraft in their ‘possession’ for almost five hours before Army intervened behind the doors and sense prevailed upon the cleric who presumably had no clue to international relations and almost put Pakistan in a precarious situation, also partly due to a highly irresponsible statement by the state information minister.

If we allow these politicians and clerics to incite their supporters to an extent that they almost put the good name of Pakistan in jeopardy, no foreign airline will be willing to come to Pakistan. Incident at Peshawar airport and Karachi could further fuel the situation and mess we are already in.

In order to safeguard the interests of the state and good name of the country, may I suggest some corrective measures which must be accepted and endorsed by all political and religious parties under oath. Any party not adhering to these measures should straightaway be banned and not allowed to participate overtly or covertly in politics. These measures are given herein under:

• No political workers and supporters e allowed receiving their leaders on the airports. They may however gather at some open place outside the city, where the leader may join them, address them and disperse. No such long processions be allowed to be taken inside any city. 
• Batons and ‘dandas’ should be declared as an offensive weapon and not allowed to be carried by anyone, except police in uniform. 
• Arms and weapons should only be carried by uniform personnel and no one from such agencies be allowed to keep weapons while not in uniform or what e call plain clothed policemen.  By doing this one would be able to differentiate between a miscreant and a member of law enforcing agency. 
• After the brutal attacks on political workers in Lahore and on police in Islamabad, Police should not be allowed to go on brutalizing the mob by beating them to death. And once a person has been apprehended, no more punishment be meted out to him, as we saw people under custody being ruthlessly beaten. 
• No senior citizen should be beaten by police as many such incidents were seen when old people were blood covered and dragged by policemen. Likewise no already injured person in possession of rescue people be beaten by police.
• No male policeman should beat or mishandle a female worker, for which lady police be employed.
• No automatic weapons be used by police as policemen were seen firing these weapons in long volleys which resulted into over dozen deaths in Lahore. 
• Whenever there is a procession, a senior party leader must be present at the scene to control its workers. And likewise, there should be senior police officers to be with their men to see that these do not overstep their orders. 
• All statements that have national and international implications must come from the responsible officers/spokesman of the foreign office and not from state information ministers not adequately educated to handle critical statements. 
• All members of political parties should abstain from accusing others and media should not over blow the critical situation by calling ordinary political members who in defending their parties lose control over their language and emotions.

There could be many more such suggestions as can be added to this list to make a comprehensive document and endorsed by all political parties, specially the religious parties who members are more charged with emotions and damage life and property more than others.

If you like the Fire Within, follow us on Facebook

Posted in: Mob,Police,Politics,Processions