A traffic warden directs traffic. PHOTO: FILE

RAWALPINDI: A traffic warden, who had cleared a path for Federal Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed by removing motorbikes parked on a street in Rawalpindi, was suspended on Tuesday while a probe has been ordered.



The matter came to light when a video of the traffic warden removing the motorbikes went viral on social media on Monday.



The video shows the convoy of Railways Minister and Awami Muslim League (AML) President Ahmed trying to pass through a crowded street near the AML’s public secretariat at Lal Haveli in Rawalpindi while on his way to the federal capital.



With the route obstructed due to some motorbikes parked, a traffic warden started asking motorists to move and pushed back parked motorbikes to clear a path for the minister. During this exercise, some of the motorbikes were also pushed to the ground.



At one point, Ahmed, who was riding in the convoy, can be seen getting out and telling onlookers in Punjabi not to park their motorbikes or vehicles like this.



“I respect you otherwise I could have all of these vehicles picked up from,” Rashid said, adding that such practice should be avoided. The traffic warden can also be heard chipping in by saying that he had thrown the bikes after getting tired of them being parked liked this.



The onlookers responded that this is what they have been demanding as well that the government start lifting the wrongly parked motorbikes from the road so that it remains clear.



However, Rawalpindi Chief Traffic Officer Muhammad Bin Ashraf took notice of the incident and suspended the traffic warden for damaging the wrongly-parked motorbikes.



Headquarters DSP Taimoor Khan was tasked with conducting a departmental inquiry into the incident.



Bin Ashraf stated that no one was allowed to damage public property or humiliate citizens while enforcing traffic laws.



It is pertinent here to mention that owing to encroachment and wrongly parked vehicles on roads of the old parts of the city — particularly in the markets — rendering it nearly impassable, even for those travelling on foot.



Scores of shopkeepers have deputed staff to bar shoppers from parking their vehicles outside their stores which often leads to fights.



Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2018.