New Delhi: Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations in Pakistan’s Punjab province were tinged with violence—between cops and the army. The now-viral video clip shows a group of Pakistan army personnel storming into Bahawalnagar police station, ransacking the premises, stomping on a policeman, and beating personnel with their rifle butts and lathis. They also allegedly tortured the station house officer.
The incident took place around 10 am on 10 April after prayers when the soldiers arrived in three to four vehicles.
“We policemen want to die. Is this Pakistan? Where is our CM Sahiba (Maryam Nawaz) now? Where are the awaam (the people) whom we protect? Will they raise their voices for us?” says a police officer in the video. The station manager and other policemen had visible wounds on their bodies.
The video, first shared by a Bahawalnagar police official on 10 April, showed the condition of a police station that the Pakistan Army personnel ransacked. The video shows that the army personnel did this after a few Punjab police officers took action against a man allegedly charged with looting. The man turned out to be an army officer’s relative.
پولیس کی دوڑیں۔ چپیڑیں اور دھوپ میں کان پکڑو آئے گئے۔ فل بے عزتی پروگرام چل رہا ہے۔ pic.twitter.com/kCWIHITShD
— Dr. Shahbaz GiLL (@SHABAZGIL) April 10, 2024
Senior police officials that ThePrint reached out to also downplayed the attack.
“These incidents often happen. Let’s not make it a big deal,” Azhar Hussain, former DSP of Bahawalnagar told ThePrint. He’s currently posted in Multan in the Punjab province.
“Around 1 pm in the night on Wednesday, the RPO (Regional Police officer) met the officers and made peace between both sides. Naray bhi lagaye gaye (Both sides did sloganeering in support of each other),” he added.
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‘Fake propaganda’
Well-known Pakistani YouTuber and activist Makhdoom, who first put out the clip, claims that the army attacked the police after they arrested one of the soldier’s brothers for allegedly hoarding illegal weapons. However, the Punjab police issued a statement calling the incident a “minor one”.
“Don’t listen to fake propaganda,” said the Punjab police.
No government statement or news report has given the reason for this ‘skirmish’.
However, the clip, which is trending in Pakistan, has many citizens questioning whether the army is above the law. It’s already threatening to become a political issue with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) wading in.
“The unfortunate bloody clash at Bahawalnagar between two institutions reflects a malady which has penetrated deep into societal fabric & is gravely impacting the functioning of the state,” declared Raoof Hussain, a PTI member on X. He went on to comment on how the state is “sinking into widespread anarchy”.
Afrasiab Khattak, a former member of the Pakistan senate expressed a similar view on X where he questioned whether the rule of law still exists in the country.
“The shameful events in Bahawalnagar is the epitome of the malaise eating into the vitals of the Pakistani state. When brute force, derived from the barrel of the gun…the state ceases to exist as a system. It leads to ‘lashkarisation’ of the state/society,” he wrote.
One of the images that evoked a strong response on social media was a screen grab of a man wearing military boots trampling a police officer.
“I request General Asim Munir and IG Punjab for a proper inquiry. Action should be taken against those who were involved in this embarrassing incident,” wrote YouTuber Saad Kaiser.