In the 19th century, following the success of mounted street patrols in London, the idea spread to the rest of Europe, USA and the British colonies. Our present day mounted police force in Pakistan is a legacy of the British and has grown in use and stature despite the over-all mechanisation of the force. Police horses have been extensively used in police training, for high visibility, controlling huge crowds during rallies and processions as well as being an imposing and spectacular sight in all ceremonial and protocol engagements.

It is this legacy that DSP Fateh Mohammed and his team have nurtured for the past 40 years and are keen on preserving. “Many officials in the police force are known for their love for horses. Ex-IGP Sindh Babar Khattak was an avid supporter. It is this love that will keep the tradition alive,” The DSP says, as he shows me photographs on the walls of his office.

He introduces me to graceful and glorious Sancho, Prince, Superstar and Royal Star. Prince snorts as he clears his throat, while Royal Star gently swishes his tail. The irons tinkle as their saddles are flung over their backs and the officer talks to them softly — little sounds of no importance, yet they are a crucial part of the language spoken between man and horse. Sancho, a chocolate-coloured horse, glanced at Fateh Mohammed shyly as he spoke about the animals with passion only horse-lovers would understand. “Earlier, we had stables with 40 horses at Garden Road Police Headquarters but in the ’50s, some were shifted to Clifton which used to be open, barren land at the time.”

Meet the Sindh police’s four-footed law enforcement team

Sancho was now chewing up a part of the bridle, probably to get attention and was softly reprimanded by the DSP who has worked in this force since 1977. “I used to be in Jacobabad earlier which was a training centre previously with 50 horses. I took training in Quetta and was then transferred to Karachi after I became an inspector. In those days, when a jawan joined the force, he would have to train with horses for six to eight months.”

Memories of triumph and trophies

“Later, more men were hired in the force as well as 34 horses. We definitely need more men and horses,” says Fateh Mohammed who believes that an armed policeman atop a horse in a public area can spot things at quite a distance. This surveillance and vigilance on horseback over a large area becomes a deterrent to troublemakers, muggers and robbers; you can venture into places where cars cannot go. “We have 18 horses in Clifton and 12 in Saudabad. The force in Jacobabad and Hyderabad is also in my jurisdiction. In Hyderabad there were 30 horses in 1991, but now only two are remaining. We need more horses there because there is jail duty as well as VIP duty. We have sent four horses to Jacobabad and will be sending another 30 soon. I would like to have 30 horses for Larkana and Sukkur each, for which the paperwork is in process and I need the support of the Sindh government on this. I have requested 100 horses for Karachi, about 20 in each district, considering the security needs of today.”

Fateh Mohammed is also a part of the purchasing process along with a selection committee which purchases horses from Mona Depot, a Pakistan Army remount depot near Mandi Bahauddin. Established in 1902, it is a leading breeding place for fine quality horses, mules and donkeys and sprawls over a vast area of more than 10,000 acres, most of which is forest.

DSP Fateh Mohammed

“The selection is similar to the selection of ‘jawans’ as both are hired for 18 years of service after which they retire. A service book with the horse’s name on it is made at the time of selection and maintained. We name the horses after purchase. The selection criteria includes height which should be 15-1/2 hand, and age which should be three to five years is determined by looking at the teeth, A medical test follows which is done at the veterinary facility on M.A. Jinnah Road.”

Each horse costs the force Rs678 per day or about Rs 20,000 per month. “This is considered the horses’ salary for the work they do. In the times of the British, the SHO of a police station would move on horseback with one officer. Horses would also be used for conveying mail between police stations. According to the Police Rules, 1934, the “chief uses of mounted police are (a) organised operations against mobile gangs of criminals, (b) patrolling for the prevention of dacoities, highway robberies and the like, (c) the control of crowds and dispersal of disorderly mobs, (d) assistance to the foot police in traffic control and (e) process serving, message carrying and escort duty where conditions are suitable.”

Service books of horses in the force

Presently, the horses are on duty for two to six hours, doing VVIP protocol duty, vigilance duty on Shahra-i-Faisal base, the Eastern, Western and Northern areas of Karachi. “They are living beings with a job to do,” says DSP Fateh. “They are on duty in processions and demonstrations. When the assembly is on, the horses are on duty throughout the session, especially if there is a demonstration or chaos outside. They patrol around Agha’s supermarket in the evening for two to four hours.”

Fateh Mohammed is a polo instructor who played polo with Asif Ali Zardari and has taught riding to Bilawal Bhutto as well as many high officials. “Polo is a royal game and polo horses are most expensive. The price of a well trained polo-horse increases to Rs1 million, considering that you spend Rs30,000 to Rs40,000 on the person who trains the horse, plus the food and medical costs. Asif Ali Zardari sahib loves horses and polo, and has been riding and playing polo with me way before he was even engaged to BB,” he says glancing at the photographs of Zardari and other enthusiasts on his office wall.

“Since Jacobabad is closer to the Sindh-Balochistan border and that is where the annual horse and cattle show takes place, many horses are filtered out for the event. Of course, the general security situation and dwindling number of horses have adversely affected the force. Four years ago, polo has finished in Karachi owing to several reasons including disinterest of authorities concerned and dwindling funds and horses. The police force had a great team but not anymore.”

The stables that need to be spruced up

Fateh Mohammed explained how a polo horse is handled with love. “You cannot be rash or harsh with it. The horse and the player communicate through small signals that the horse learns to understand. The horse takes a year to train for polo. If you train him faster, he will have weak legs. Then he should play for another year which will make him competitive in the third year. The weather and the skill of the polo player matter too. If a novice handles the trained horse, the horse’s training is ruined.”

After the horses have completed 18 years of service, they retire and a committee meets to decide which horses have to be put to sleep. “There is no place yet to keep them after retirement despite there being land in Razzaqabad and Saeedabad. They may be sold to a private party as a pet, but they are never sold to a cruel man or for work on a tonga,” said Fateh Mohammed with a glint of sadness in his eyes. Did he fall in love with a horse in his long tenure with the mounted force? “Royal Ranger was a wonderful horse, and then there was Naureen who lived to the age of 34 years.”

We walked over to the concrete food trough where Fateh Mohammed showed me a mare and her two colts, indulging in some horseplay at tea-time. This was when we hear the sound of hooves and a neigh from behind. It was Superstar in his finery, who had had enough of posing around for the photo shoot and galloped off into the open yard. “Ye bachpan se bara badmaash hai, sirf aik banday ki baat sunta hai,” the DSP described his challenging personality, and ordered a tea break for him since it was almost 5pm.

The horses eat a mix of jowar (sorghum), channa (chickpeas) chokkar (bran), jao (barley), luusan (alfalfa grass) coconut oil and a salt block, which is a warm weather requirement. “We buy the horses’ ration from government suppliers and even if there is a slight quality issue, we reject the stuff,” says DSP Fateh.

“Earlier they had nameplates on their stables, but at the moment only Prince has one, the rest are gone,” said Fateh Mohammed who hopes that in the two years of his service before he retires, he would get the opportunity to turn the force around.

Fateh Mohammed’s commitment and dedication is not enough to turn the mounted police force around. There are factors beyond his control and he fears that the force might shrink and disappear unless budgets are increased, more horses purchased, and better living and working conditions are provided for them. The trophies, shields and awards won in the past by the mounted police force lying tarnished in the DSP’s office, are perhaps symbolic of the state that the force is presently in.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, September 13th, 2015

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