VIP movements

VIP Movements
By Umar Hafiz

The VIP culture in Pakistan has no parallel anywhere in the world. Our major cities suffer agony almost daily because of frequent VIP or VVIP movements. As hooting motorcades move around the cities, major roads are blocked and everything comes to a grinding halt, disrupting even emergency services, including ambulance and fire-brigade services. Ambulances are held up with patients in them, who in some cases die because of the delays.

Ninety per cent of the police is used for VIP security. This may boost VIP egos but the government suffers huge losses as a result of expenditure on these VIP-related security measures, including heavy expenditures on unanticipated, ill-planned ad hoc face-lifting of the affected areas for the sake of these visits.

The growing traffic congestion caused by VIP movement and related security measures also have an adverse effect on the overall economy and business activity of the city concerned in terms of billions of rupees lost in traffic contingency planning for each VVIP visit. Common people and businesses suffer financially on account of traffic congestion during these visits. Then, there is also an invisible and incalculable loss of time for every affected person during the long spells of traffic closures on these occasions.

The heaviest cost is, however, borne by the public in terms of frequent chaos on the roads, strain on their vehicles, waste of petrol and diesel during traffic jams, pressure on their minds while their lungs inhale smoke, missed appointments and opportunities and engagements, unattended public security and enhanced crime rate in the absence of the city's police and security personnel diverted to VVIP duty. The people did not elect their rulers to become a nuisance for them and a curse in their lives.

Appeals from the public requesting their leaders to be considerate and to spare them their repeated ordeals have remained unheard. Two years ago, the Lahore High Court Bar Association went to the extent of adopting a unanimous resolution demanding an end to the VVIP traffic and security culture and describing frequent traffic closures and "protective" measures as "unconstitutional and illegal."
Unfortunately, nothing, not even public interest, is above the "security" of the ruling elites who themselves remain above law, customs, public opinion, or moral judgment. No laws seem to be applicable to VIPs, especially when they are travelling in the country on an uncharted political trail. No constitutional bars, no legal rules or no ethical norms are there to rationalise their conduct.

No one denies the importance of security for our leaders and the indispensability of requisite protective measures. But for them, precaution would be the key to prevention of any life-threatening security hazard. The best precaution is to avoid excessive and indiscriminate public exposure. The VIPs will be better off remaining closeted in their residential fortresses and limiting their outings and unnecessary movements.

If there are any inescapable state functions requiring their presence, the events could perhaps be held risk-free at the secure premises of the Convention Centre in Islamabad or within their own respective camp offices. They must not, in any case, be giving a sense of security to themselves at the cost of public safety or by putting people through regular torture. The current practice of blocking roads for hours brings nothing but misery to the people and puts ordinary citizens' lives at risk.

Incidents like the woman who gave birth to a child in a rickshaw in Quetta while stuck in traffic due to VVIP movement are plain disgraceful. No one living in a civilized society should be subjected to such agony and humiliation. What is even more shameful, is the disdain with which the PM made light of the woman's pain and anguish by pronouncing solemnly that "a birth happens when it has to happen" and that VIP protocol was immaterial in the incident.

Finally an impassioned appeal to the rulers themselves: For God's sake, leave us alone!