Bullets never stray

From two kilometres opposite Punjab Police College Sihala, the only visible structure is the white high wall of it firing range. It is a scenic view and the winds do not blow dirt into your eyes as they do in Rawalpindi because this area is lush green and serene.

But the serenity of this spot is shattered the moment a stray bullet lands on your rooftop, wind screen of your car or even breaks through its roof to injure your dear ones. This is turning of a beautiful dream into a nightmare. And this is happening in Islamabad.

“My nephew was sitting in the car. All of sudden a bullet smashed through its roof and hit him on the arm. We rushed him to hospital and he is safe now,” narrates Ahmed, a resident of Naval Anchorage. Another said a stray bullet hit windscreen of his car a few days back, to fix which he had to pay Rs70,000.

Raja Muhammad Khalid is an old resident of this area. Time was when there were no housing colonies here and the whole area was a jungle, he remembers. In those days, villagers were informed in advance when the shooting exercises were held so that they stay vigilant and safe.

“I remember we used to ignore police warnings those days and cross the fields close to the shooting range. But now they have built a very high wall and you can see that it is visible even from a distance,” he said.

In his street, he narrated to me the three incidents in which stray bullets had hit houses. A women resident of the colony said she found a bullet at her rooftop once.

Jamil Bhatti, another resident, said there is a need to examine the bullet and track its origins. It would be unwise to state that these bullets come from the firing range until and unless there is an investigation to determine the fact. But landing of bullets is an alarming sign as it could result into harm to human life any time.

Inspector Arif Babar, the Sihala Police Academy officer dealing with media, says it is not possible that any bullet crosses their firing range. He explained that the academy maintains international standards of safety. In addition to sand barriers to block the bullets, they have built at least 30 feet high wall and no bullet can break through this wall, he said.

He said that they ring bugle before start of shooting training so that if anybody is passing through the vicinity, they should be aware of it. Since 1969, the Academy has been a mark of excellence and there is no question of any compromise on safety standards. Inspector Babar also explained that it is possible that some untrained people fire bullets in any village and those bullets may hit human beings when they land. Inspector Babar’s conviction seems close to the reality but there is a need to probe where these bullets land in the area from.

— Hassan Shehzad