Our leaders – if that is the right word to use, tend to violate the law of this land on a daily basis. How do they do that? It is by assuming a sense of superiority relative to the common man on the street; by the blatant show of power; and by spending public wealth on a protocol that fails to justify itself. Twelve thousand police officers are appointed on this so-called VIP duty in Karachi alone, while the city bleeds. And the worst part, no one to raise a voice against it. The inherently unquestioning attitude of the people of the sub-continent is perhaps one of the greatest obstacles to development.

If a minister, MNA, MPA, senator, or a parliamentarian happens to fancy the same hill station, the same public resort, or the same vacation spot, there goes the common man’s holiday. Traffic is stopped in the middle, it doesn’t matter where anyone is going, whether it is even an emergency or not, signals are ticked off, and police is appointed every 200 meters on the road. Those unlucky ones who happen to cross the path on the same time a VIP does, well they can wait.

So what if a child is born in a Rickshaw in Quetta while the President was moving around the city? Obviously as per Gilani “a child could be born anywhere”. And so what if ambulances are stranded in traffic jams because the representatives of the people are moving? So what if an average citizen’s life is less important than that of his/her incompetent, if I may add, democratically elected leaders? A reasonable protocol is understandable and should come with the highest positions in the government, but when it comes to dozens of jeeps filled with armed security officials for every other MNA, it gets a bit too much.

It has almost become a rivalry among VIPs it seems. Armored vehicles, government convoys, police here and there, and to top it, extremely rude law enforcement officials shoving cars aside for a single person; someone who has probably done much less to serve the country than those who are brushed away for his security’s sake. While there is a huge traffic jam, people wait and curse the coming VIP, but soon after it is over, the ordeal is forgotten. Nothing is done to prevent or question such an outrageous plundering of public wealth and time.

This Ramazan, the prime minister planned to offer his last Friday prayer in the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. Following his protocol and security, many others could not venture close to the mosque. It is an every other day suffering of those residing in the capital city; however, it is not only them. When a VIP wishes to move in Lahore, Karachi, Quetta or any other city, it is equally worse, if not more. 

Many, if not all of the VIPs that tend to use public security for their private tours are capable enough of hiring their own private guards if they so wish. But why pay when you can leech? One wonders if our public representatives are so scared of their own public, no wonder the representation then, goes astray somewhere. If we are finally on the way to democracy, where is accountability? And if the law enforcement agencies will only protect the elite, who will protect the common man?

The Capital Security Police that manages the safety of VIPs in Islamabad is more in number than the regular police with separate superintendents of police for VVIPs, the PM and president houses among others. It just shows the level of regard our government has for their citizens of a common stature. The situation is the same all over the country without any concern of the general population. If the approximately 12000 police that are stuck with VIPs in shoving aside traffic in Karachi would be put on regular duty, perhaps the security situation in the city would improve. But who will question this? We are used to a democracy that thrives on our coffers – we will curse and condemn and by the time of next elections we would have forgiven and forgotten.

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.