There are too many guys with pot bellies in our Police force. Once I counted an astonishing 14 paunches in a line of 15 policemen. I saw them on one side of Abdullah Haroon Road, as I drove down to the Karachi Press Club. May be there were more bellies on the other side of the road, too. This was several years ago, but ever since, when I see a policeman I glance first at his abdomen. Never again have I seen as many as 14 out of 15 pot bellies at once, but there is enough evidence that Karachi's Police force is physically unfit.
Not all policemen have a huge protuding belly. Bellies come in different sizes, from just beginning to sprout to a full fledges paunch. No wonder the crime rate is uncontrolled, no wonder terrorist still harass Karachiites. An unfit policeman is incapable of physically apprehending an escaping criminal. Not only do they lack speed but also stamina to give the chase.
Does the Police force undergo regular fitness tests, or was it done one time when they were being recruited and then trained? Are there gyms where policemen can workout? How many policemen (if any) run a few laps every morning or evening? Is their health regularly monitored? Doctors will tell you, if a pot bellied man suddenly exerts himself he is likely to suffer a heart attack. Pot bellies are also a sign of general flab. Policemen look thick but they do not have muscle tone.
Once upon a time a protuding belly was regarded as a sign of prosperity, indicating the man had plenty to eat and nothing to do except relax on a divan, smoking a hooka. Even the seth sahab of our big business and the (Banya) moneylender proudly sported a paunch. But attitudes have changed, except, it seems, in the Police force. Is it prosperity from pelf? Everybody thinks so. If you look at funny pictures of policemen drawn by local cartoonists you see they always draw a big paunch on the fellow.
This is no laughing matter, however. It is an indicator of a backward nation, underdeveloped, if not a failed state. In the developed world crime fighting is a job for physically fit policemen and women. It is not only our policemen who are unfit. I have noted bellies and flabby muscles on army men, even commandos. If you don't believe me, try to get hold of a video recording of the Lal Masjid operation from Musharraf's time; you will see proof of my contention.
The Police high-up cannot be ignorant of the physical state of their men. Police officers are generally fit but they are not the ones who do the dirty work in a police operation. So why are they unconcerned? Whenever the IG Police is confronted with the question why our police force is ineffective in crime fighting, the usual excuse is that there a too few policemen, the city needs more, we a planning to recruit them, and so forth. This cannot be true of Karachi. Every few yards down a busy street you bump into a policeman. The general impression is that the city is crawling with policemen.
A paunch no longer indicates prosperity, it is the other way round now. The superfit guys belong to the affluent class. In fact the physique of Karachiites can tell to what class he belongs. The labour class does not have a belly, actually they do not have enough flesh on their bones either.
The middle-class does not have a belly, but still does not look physically fit. The kind of work they do does not leave time for a health routine. This has negative impact on their work efficiency. We should take our cue from China and hold mass PT exercise sessions every morning before office hours. Another reason for the poor physical condition of the middle-class is unhealthy eating habits. This is the class derisively dubbed burger family. They are educated, but the schools and colleges they went to did not have PT, a playfield or organised sports.
Image counts. We have projected Karachi as a modern city, believing those sophisticated high-rise buildings, malls, cinema houses, fancy restaurants, technology, cell phones, motorcars and motorbikes, designer outfits and television channels create that impressions. Visit any foreign modern city, except in the USA, and the first thing you notice is how smart the public is. That is the real picture of a modern city. Karachi's modern image is pretty fake.
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