A video capturing a policeman’s violent baton charge against female beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) has gone viral on social media, drawing strong criticism from viewers.
Today, journalist Iftikhar Firdous shared a video on Twitter showing a low-ranked policeman wielding a baton to charge at women who were waiting to receive financial assistance under the program in Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). However, women were forced to wait due to a technical issue.
Benazir Income Support Programme Charsadda!! Regardless of the fact once the video goes out these policemen will be be suspended and the district police chief will spring into action. But the animosity and anger by treating the poor women in such a manner lasts forever. Civil… pic.twitter.com/lqwCaU4893
— Iftikhar Firdous (@IftikharFirdous) June 20, 2023
Upon closer look at the video, it becomes clear that the policeman is grinning as he assaults the women from low-income households, and someone else (dressed in blue) tries to stop him. Another policeman can also be seen directing the women to retreat.
Following the incident, there was a public outcry for strict action against those responsible for mistreating these underprivileged women who struggle to make ends meet.
In response, Shazia Marri, the Federal Minister and Chairperson of BISP, took to Twitter to condemn the incident as “totally unacceptable.” She assured the public that appropriate action was underway and stressed that no one can mistreat women in such a manner.
Totally unacceptable & action is being taken. No one can be allowed to treat women this way. However, there are some ongoing technical issues with @BankAlfalahPAK which have caused inconvenience to our beneficiaries. @bisp_pakistan is trying to get this resolved at the earliest. https://t.co/plI8nsjdNK
— Shazia Atta Marri (@ShaziaAttaMarri) June 20, 2023
Marri also disclosed that Bank Alfalah was facing technical difficulties, which caused delays in the provision of monetary assistance. However, she assured that the issue was being resolved.
Meanwhile, Constable Ayaz and Constable Muhammad Zada, the two policemen involved in the incident, have been suspended with immediate effect, according to a notification posted by Marri in her Tweet replies.
