KARACHI – Police in southeastern Sindh province have lodged a case against a man who encouraged motorists to interrupt the presidential convoy in the port city.
A video shared on the social media shows the man attempting to break the security cordon after they blocked Shahra-e-Faisal late Saturday night before being roughed up by the traffic police.
Following the incident, the man was booked for obstructing the police from performing their duties.
However, promptly reacting on the registration of the FIR, President Dr Arif Alvi took to Twitter to condemn the police action. “FIR against the person protesting against security is ridiculous. When people are inconvenienced they do react,” he said in his tweet.
https://twitter.com/ArifAlvi/status/1043808175336624128
In a similar incident, members of FixIt campaign – run by Pakistan Tehreek –e-Insaf (PTI) Alamgir Khan – were booked by Sindh Police for taking to the streets to clear out the traffic jam caused by President Alvi’s protocol (September 15) when he visited his hometown for the first time after after assuming office.
A case was registered against them at Tipu Sultan Police Station.
Following a public backlash, the ‘embarrassed’ president then insisted that the authorities ignored his request and provided protocol.
“The long chain of official cars following me is despite the fact that I asked all officials present at the airport not to embarrass me with a huge protocol. One or two cars in front and one or two cars behind may satisfy their security needs. This did not happen. We have to try harder,” he had tweeted.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/president-arif-alvi-feels-embarrassed-for-royal-protocol-accorded-in-karachi/
President Alvi belongs to the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, whose chairman and current Prime Minister Imran Khan says VVIP protocols and lavish living style of the political representatives are sucking the national exchequer.
“I want to tell my people, I will live a simple life, I will save your money,” Khan said in his maiden speech.
Khan, who himself is living in a PM military secretary’ house instead of palatial PM House, also ordered an auction of a fleet of 102 luxury and surplus vehicles kept at Prime Minister House in Islamabad.
As part of the PTI government’s austerity measures, 61 vehicles including five bulletproof vehicles have been sold so far.
However, the president’s caravan still includes at least 40 vehicles.
