ISLAMABAD  -  The midday sun burned over Ghousia Chowk, Farooq-e-Azam Road. A small crowd stood outside a private bank’s ATM, among them, Mudassar, an ordinary customer, wiping sweat from his face. His turn to withdraw cash was still far away. There was no shelter, no shade, only the harsh sunlight. “This is the only ATM in the area,” he said. “We are forced to stand here in the heat every time. We have no choice.”

From Chandni Chowk to Commercial Market in Rawalpindi, long rows of branded outlets line the roadside and almost every security guard posted there tells the same story. At one such outlet, a guard said bitterly: “If we complain or demand better facilities, the company will simply replace us with someone else.”

Not far away, another uniformed guard stood on a narrow two-foot cemented path outside a commercial outlet.

His shoes were worn out, and his uniform was heavy in the heat. For hours, he had stood under the blazing sun, protecting property worth millions. Yet for his own life and dignity, there was no protection. “Thousands of vehicles pass every hour,” he told APP, tired and drained. “The smoke and dust make it hard to breathe. Standing here is like standing inside a furnace.”

Both the customer and the guard, strangers to each other but tied by the same struggle showed a silent reality across the country. Whether it is an ATM user suffering under the sun for a simple transaction or a guard working 12 to 16-hour shifts, both are denied even the most basic facilities.

In the Commercial Market, another customer, Ahmad Nawaz, said: “It’s our fifth turn. The system is slow, and there is no shade. We are left to wait in suffocating heat.” Bilal Shabbir added that he had already tried other ATMs that were either out of cash or not working.

An elderly woman, Saima Ayub, a nearby resident, wiping sweat from her forehead, looked toward the bank’s glass doors and said bitterly: “They sit inside with air conditioning and cold water, while we stand outside in this heat like we’re not even human. Is this how they treat old people now?”

When APP asked the branch manager about this, his reply was dismissive: “If the head office gives approval, we will install it. Standing in the sun for a short while is not that painful,” he said with a smile.

Legal expert Usman Farooq explained that under Pakistan’s labor and consumer protection laws, companies must provide basic facilities for both employees and customers. He referred to the Punjab Consumer Protection Act 2005, which gives citizens the right to dignified services, including safe and reasonable conditions at banks. “Failure to provide proper uniforms for guards or shade for ATM customers is not just negligence,” he said. “It can be a violation of human rights and consumer protection laws — leaving companies open to legal action.”

Under Pakistan’s legal framework, several laws and regulatory guidelines obligate banks and commercial entities to ensure basic comfort and safety for customers, particularly in public-facing services like ATMs. 

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), through its Branchless Banking Regulations and Banking Conduct and Consumer Protection Regulations, mandates financial institutions to ensure accessible, safe, and customer-friendly environments, including adequate seating, shade, and shelter for ATM and branch visitors.

As the sun went down, the queues remained, and the guards still stood. The money withdrawn carried its value, but for those who endured the heat, the real cost was measured in sweat, tiredness, and silent patience.