Partly Facetious: suspension of three police officers makes no sense

07 Oct, 2004

"The Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has suspended Sialkot District Police Officer (DPO), DSP and SHO concerned for negligence and dereliction of duty."
"Why? I mean this attack was a terrorist attack and I don't see exactly why these three officers have been blamed? Mind you there is probably a lot going on in Sialkot that one can blame on them but not a terrorist attack. I mean didn't Musharraf tell the Americans again and again that the reason for terrorist attacks is political. And one really can't blame our politics, our foreign policy as well as domestic policy, on our police."
"Chaudhry Junior claims that Sialkot DPO, DSP and the relevant SHO should have properly briefed the security guard posted at Zainabia Masjid about security checks and ought to have ensured the implementation of all precautionary measures in this regard."
"Interesting from a government that can't implement its own labour laws! Anyway what kind of security checks? Was an x-ray machine provided or was the little wand that airport security waves at us to determine if we are carrying arms and ammunition provided to this sole security guard?"
"Heavens no. If each mosque needed these expensive gadgets to provide security then we would be bankrupt."
"We are bankrupt notwithstanding the inflow of foreign money because we are fighting Bush's war on terror, a war that is certainly bringing money in but also taking away our peace and security. Personally I'd rather have fewer attacks than money! Anyway how were these three officers responsible? I mean the perpetrators of the Sialkot attack were more than one. How could he have dealt with the situation single handedly?"
"Maybe Chaudhry Junior thought this was negligence or inefficiency because after suspending the three he warned that these twin evils besetting our bureaucrats, inefficiency and negligence, will not be tolerated."
"What about the triple evils besetting the politicians: Lotaism, Lotaism and more Lotaism."
"Don't be facetious. Anyway as you mentioned earlier I thought Musharraf keeps telling the Americans that to deal effectively with terrorism you have to go to the root of the problem which is invariably political in context."
"All I can say is that we as a race like to give advice but don't want to take advice, even our own."
"But still to suspend the three."
"Doesn't make sense. By the way how many attacks will it take to suspend the political leadership?"
"So these three were the scapegoats."
"Indeed. Public anger was quite significant but I saw the police hitting out at the protestors. Now was hitting the protestors a police decision or a political decision?"
"It would have to be a political decision."
"Is that kosher?"
"Well you can't allow people to destroy property - I mean there is every reason to take action against such elements."
"Even if the anger was justified?"
"It wasn't justified - after all the government took proper precautions, it suspended three people."
"And the circle is complete yet again."

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