There seems to be a big media campaign behind the image of motorway police, smartly dressed uniforms, educated inflections in voice and strictly obeying the rules(off course at a much higher pay) no matter who is there driving the car.
Is it so? I mean to suggest that i have developed an impression over a period of time that all that glitters may not be gold, all i hear is middle class people driving their cars (now cars are a symbol of middle class, elites roam in SUVs or high priced european machines) are checked and fined by these people where as lowly(!!!) people driving the public transport are never seen being fined though their overspeeding is no lesser than before. Seldom we hear some higher government official being fined but far lesser than that is these public transport walas.
What is true and what is facade? May be collectively we can reach on an answer.
True they are in this regard, however why do they always fine Car drivers, i am a very frequent traveller and only fined once, however i always see car drivers being fined, no Hiace drivers etc
I have driven through the M-way twice, wasnt pulled over, but I know alot of people who were.
My phuppa was pulled over, he bought a new car from Islamabad and was returning to Lahore and I guess was giving his new car a shake down. However, they apologized to the m-way police walla, explained his case, and the officer was understanding and told him he could go with a warning.
There was also a time when the motorway wasnt fully fenced, and alot of maltey ke darakhts (orange trees) which were in private properties were accessible, and alot of drivers on motorway stopped their cars and started picking those maltas. However, I remember the motorway police taking stern action and fined people who were caught pulled over and picking those oranges which belonged to someone. I also remember Nawaz Sharif himself was once pulled over by this motorway cop!
i think its live example, better training, better work pattern, well equiped and well paid Police can do magic in the same country where Police is one of major symbol of corupption.
As Pakistanis we still have moral values left if we are not forced to take bribes when there is suffcient Halal means available to us.
Well, there was a time, in the 80s and early 90s, when Islamabad police was awesome, trust me, there was no rishwat-khoori back then. As an example, a distant relative of mine, who is a crore-patti was in Islamabad for a visa application, got pulled over, tried bribing the policewalla, ended up spending the night in jail! However, its not the same anymore but this does prove that we CAN afterall have an efficient police system, dont ask me how though.
As for rishwat etc, to be honest, they dont bother stopping someone like you or me, they get their money from the bus/truck/rikshaw drivers actually.
My cousin got pulled over for the first time in Islamabad about a year ago... He's still a kid so wasnt sure how to handle the situation, although he had heard you could give them Rs 100 note and get away so he dug in his pocket and stuck his hand with the note flaping in the wind, only to be greeted by nervous shock from the cop, who got really disturbed all of the sudden.
He said " Havent you ever given a bribe before!" so after a few more hints, he folded it in his palm and pretend to be shaking hands or something and the guy was more then happy to let him of.
that note always worked, actually there was time when their ‘price’ was down to Rs 20-30 but inflation must have made that ‘cost’ go higher as well.