Insights into the Baaghee mind: CoNI interview with a policeman who mutinied

P: I felt not the smallest bit of sadness. Nor was I particularly happy. It was just normal. Perhaps because everything was just so tight that day, all day.

Yasir: As said, might there be people among commanders who may plan something or accept bribes or something of the sort?

P: I don’t know, do I? I haven’t received such an offer so far, for sure.

Yasir: Maybe you guys don’t know. But you are there to carry out orders, to act according to commands. Are there any such people?

P: Even commanders…what is stated is that unconstitutional orders must not be obeyed. People are ready to work that way even now. I don’t know about accepting bribes. I don’t believe that police would accept bribes. I am convinced no member of the police will accept a bribe. Nor do I believe that anyone would even try to bribe the police. I assume that the public are more aware than that—they also know that when they offer us bribes, we will refuse them. I don’t think these purposes can be fulfilled by paying one person. Because, when something is to be done by an individual, say for example something I have to do—I cannot be made to it by bribing someone else. If it is an unconstitutional thing, if it is, I think it is impossible to carry out by bribing one person.

Yasir: In your opinion, what is the biggest mistake made in the process?

P: You mean when everything had ended?

Yasir: Yes.

P: I believe that it is still…the worst thing we did all in all is the Haruge problem.

Yasir: What is the biggest mistake by those in command? Why did these things happen this way?

P: Because they weren’t answerable to us.

Yasir: They were not answerable?

P: From their side it was only Ammadhy who came to meet us. Even when he came, he talked in a weird sort of way.

Yasir: What sort of way?

P: That is, for example, Are you ready? Example: To face anything? Leave now or the military will have to confront you. The military will attack you, they will arrest you. This was the tone his words took. This only increased anger among people in such a state. That’s the sort of way it came.

Fawaz: We are talking about sixty S.O., aren’t we? About 50-60 people. Even among them, only some were to be arrested, it was being said. Given the small number of people about to be arrested, it is very difficult to believe that the entire police force would rise up against it…do you not see that this happened with a much more solid plan than that?

P: There is no plan, is there? Nobody can be arrested individually, can they? Only someone with nothing…there were about four or five commanders among us…if they were to be arrested…I don’t know the reason why.

Fawaz: But, only four of five people are to be arrested, and the entire police force rise against it? That is?

P: They were trying to do something they cannot do…arresting police…It wasn’t as if we had done something unconstitutional or there had been violence and people had been attacked.

Fawaz: Then why didn’t you rise up when the Commissioner’s resignation was called for? Why didn’t you say on the other side that there can’t be a resignation?

P: What we were asking of the Commissioner was for him to come there and talk to us. I don’t think people would be against calls for resignation of a Commissioner who wouldn’t do that.

Fawaz: Rise up?

P: Against that. It is more likely that they would choose to do the opposite.

Yasir: Any more…Do you have anything in particular that you would like to share with us, or something essential that you need to say before we conclude?

P: No.

Yasir: Thank you

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