Around 32,000 police personnel brought from distant districts of northern Punjab and deployed at different points in Attock district to stop the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) long march are reportedly facing a shortage of facilities, severe lack of washrooms, inadequate drinking water and poor-quality food. Meanwhile, reports suggest that higher ranking officials deployed ahead of the march have been accommodated at the well-equipped properties of high-profile traders and political leaders. Regular police personnel deployed on site have reportedly suffered from cold, flu, cough, dysentery, diarrhoea, fever and sore throats due to the weather and lack of facilities. Constable Zulfiqar, who had come from Dera Ghazi Khan, died of a heart attack, while Constable Zain Bosan, a resident of Mandi Bahauddin, drowned in the Ghazi Barotha canal after slipping. The police personnel have been accommodated in government schools and dispensaries, where they are forced to sleep on the floor with blankets. At one school accommodating nearly 1,000 personnel, there is reportedly only one washroom. The severe shortage of washrooms has caused distress among police personnel. In the absence of washrooms, a large number of personnel use bushes and fields beneath the Attock River bridge, which, according to them, is worsening their problems. The contract for providing meals and breakfast to the police has reportedly been awarded to a person named Sheikh Ajmal. Police personnel said breakfast, tea and curry were often served stale. They said food cooked at night was packed in small plastic containers and distributed in the afternoon, by which time it had become stale. "Since we came to Attock for duty, fresh tea, food and breakfast have become a dream," they said. They said 200 police personnel at a time had to wait for hours outside a single washroom. Due to the change in weather, every fifth or sixth police official was reportedly suffering from cold, flu, cough or fever. They also said there were not enough medical teams to examine them. At night, personnel are made to sleep on school floors with one blanket underneath and another on top. Space has been provided in school corridors, while some personnel have converted school benches into makeshift beds. They said their duties were also very demanding. With the postponement of the march, their deployment period has also been extended. The Punjab Inspector General of Police visited Attock to assess the situation and encourage the personnel. RPOs and DPOs have been directed to make daily visits. Personnel from Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan and Khanewal, including Irfan, Faisal, Nauman and Qaiser Malik, said they had come after being told they would receive an additional salary and serve for two or three days, but their duty had now been extended. "We have no problem with duty, nor are we afraid or going to abandon it. Stopping the workers by using force is our duty, but we should at least be provided facilities," they said. They said washrooms were a basic human necessity and had become a serious problem. "Everyone has started using open spaces. There is no water for bathing or ablution, and even prayers are being missed," they said. They described the sleeping arrangements and food as difficult to tolerate but said the shortage of washrooms and water was unbearable. They said they spoke to their families daily and their parents had started telling them to return if facilities were not available. They appealed to the Punjab IG, Rawalpindi RPO and Attock DPO to arrange sufficient washrooms and drinking water as well as water for bathing and ablution, saying, "We will handle the long march." Higher-ups get higher accommodation Meanwhile around 250 senior-ranking officers have reportedly been divided into groups of 10 to 20 and accommodated, allegedly through use of pressure tactics and requests, at the residences, guest houses, agricultural farms and offices of prominent traders, political leaders and affluent individuals in Attock. The officers have reportedly been provided with luxury accommodation in air-conditioned rooms, along with meals, tea and breakfast, with these individuals hosting them until the long-march issue is resolved. A prominent businessman in Attock told The Express Tribune that 16 police officers were staying at his residence and agricultural farm under his supervision and with facilities provided by him.