HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court was informed on Wednesday that a total of 273 policemen of Benazirabad district were deployed at the residences owned by Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in Sindh, Islamabad and Punjab.

The information was shared with the court by petitioners, Sindh United Party’s senior vice president Syed Zainulaabidin Shah, grandson of late G.M. Syed, and SUP information secretary Ameer Ali Thebo, who had challenged the deployment of the district’s policemen at the residences of Mr Zardari.

The petitioners, represented by Meer Mangrio advocate, told Justices Mahmood A. Khan and Khadim Hussain Tunio that 71 policemen were guarding Zardari House in Nawabshah, 62 were deployed at Zardari House in Karachi, 12 at Bilawal House in Karachi, 18 at Bahria House in Karachi, 15 at Zardari House in Naudero, 35 at Zardari House in Lahore and 60 at Zardari House in Islamabad,

They said that protocol for VIPs, especially leaders of ruling PPP, had created class-based differences in society. A total of 2,303 cases of various crimes, including kidnapping for ransom and murder, were reported in Benazirabad district in 2016 while hundreds of policemen were busy providing security to VIPs. Police including constables and inspectors were deployed not only in several residences in Benazirabad but also at Mr Zardari’s bungalows in Punjab and Islamabad, they said.

They said that not only Mr Zardari but other leaders were also provided policemen from the district. They included: Islam Dahiri, three, Khan Mohammad Dahiri, two, MPA Bahadur Dahiri, four, Azeem Mughal, three, Qayoom Qureshi, two, PMA Chaudhry Tariq Masood, eight, Ali Hassan and Ashfaq Zardari, 41, Ghulam Sarwar Unnar, two, Ali Hyder Shah, two, Aftab Zardari, eight, Shoukat Zardari, two, Mukhtiar Zardari, four and MNA Ghulam Mustafa Shah, six policemen.

They said the details were obtained by the petitioner and they might be higher because there were other employees from different departments who were also serving VIPs. These policemen were not only used for security but also for terrorising, disgracing and humiliating members of general public, they said.

They contended that it was a great injustice with people of Sindh, especially with people of Shaheed Benazirabad district that the police meant for their security had been deployed out of their district. It was not justified nor allowed by law, they said.

They observed that it was high time VIP culture was discouraged and requested the court to ask Sindh IGP to submit record of the policemen of Benazirabad district. They said the court should cancel such deployment after going through the list and direct such policemen to serve people.

They requested the court to fix responsibility for the deployment on present and past SSPs of Benazirabad.

The court issued notices to Sindh home secretary, inspector general of police, DIG and SSP of Benazirabad and additional advocate general to file comments on the petition.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2018