ISLAMABAD: Caretaker government’s report on May 9 said that the riots caused erosion of public confidence in all institutions of the state including the armed forces.
It says, “There is now a palpable perception of a gulf between the people and the armed forces that has caused morale of the troops to plummet. At a time when the armed forces are engaged in fighting a relentless war on terror, this erosion of mutual trust is unhelpful.”
The report claimed that on May 9, 14 people died and 423 were injured, majority of which were police and LEA personnel. Further, 40 public and 15 private buildings were damaged, and 159 vehicles, including 137 public vehicles, were destroyed or damaged. It said that these protests caused an estimated immediate financial loss of nearly Rs17 billion.
Although the report stated that the scale of damage and the inability of the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) to contain the protests raises questions about their preparedness and capacity, it praised the military personnel for showing restraint when it was brazenly attacked by the rioters.
“The military personnel conducted themselves admirably in difficult circumstances and at great personal peril. The military demonstrated extraordinary restraint even when brazenly attacked. The soldiers are trained to neutralize threats, and they had the capacity and the resolve to defend their installations, and yet they restrained themselves out of concern for civilian life and property.
The restraint demonstrated by the military saved lives, and prevented violence from escalating. Failure to demonstrate such restraint would have led to inordinate loss of life making a difficult situation even worse. The Committee places on record its appreciation for the restraint shown by the soldiers and officers,” said the report.
Regarding the civilian Law Enforcement Agencies, the report said that they also conducted themselves well, but there is, however, some cause for concern regarding the absence of effective coordination by provincial governments when it was critically needed.
