As an avid cyclist, this incident in Lahore, Pakistan’s heartland, deeply shames me and validates a female Pakistani cyclist’s claim in the past that the country was unsafe for cyclists—a claim I once contested.
Dawn reported that a 27-year-old German cyclist was robbed near Lahore’s North Cantonment police station early Saturday. According to the FIR, Florian Berg was ambushed at 1:30 am by two men who rifled through his belongings after he told them he had no cash. They stole his camera, AirPods, phone, power bank, and Rs5,000, and physically assaulted him.
Lahore Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Faisal Kamran took notice of the robbery, formed special teams to investigate, and promised swift action. The police are also reviewing safe city cameras to identify the culprits, and Berg received medical aid at the Punjab Rangers Teaching Hospital. The DIG assured that the suspects would be arrested soon and Berg’s belongings recovered.
This incident brings to mind an assault on a young female foreign cyclist in Swat during the former Swat state era. The victim was accommodated at state expense at Swat Hotel (now Swat Serena) until the culprits were caught and presented for identification in open court. She was given the choice of seeing their immediate punishment, opting for compensation, or pardoning them. She chose to pardon the culprits but was impressed by the swift justice. The ruler, however, banished them from the state for bringing disgrace.
This precedent poses a serious challenge to the current female Chief Minister of Punjab. Her passion for inspecting passing out in police uniform must translate into action to investigate such disgraceful incidents, bring the culprits to justice, and compensate the cyclists. This is especially important given that ordinary citizens face such dangers while the ruling class enjoys blocked roads for their safety. Long Live Pakistan Safest for some unsafe for most 🇵🇰
