Glowing tribute paid to 1,511 police martyrs

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police on Tuesday paid glowing tributes to its 1,511 martyred cops by holding camps, presenting salutes at the graves of the fallen men and organizing a mega event at the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines where standing ovation was given to the kin of the slain policemen.
This was for the first time that such activities were arranged throughout the province to pay tributes to the police heroes. The event was organized on the death anniversary of legendary police officer Safwat Ghayur who was killed in a suicide attack in Peshawar Saddar in 2010.
“I am proud to be the chief minister of the province that has sacrificed the most for peace in the country. The sacrifices of the police have improved the situation to a great extent,” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak told an impressive gathering at the Police Lines. A large number of kids, wives, fathers and other family members of the slain cops attended the function and were given standing ovation by the participants.
Also in attendance were a number of ministers, ex-senior policemen and bureaucrats, serving civil and police officers and people from all walks of life.
“The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Nasir Khan Durrani has sent me a proposal for creation of positions of assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs) to immediately recruit the kids of the slain cops whose cases are pending for long. I announce 300 seats for the families of the martyred cops. In future, we are developing a mechanism under which the son or brother of a martyred cop will be recruited as ASI within no time,” the chief minister announced during his speech.
He also announced that the government will bear all the expenses on the treatment of the injured cops in future. “I was the first one who used to criticize the police the most. Today I feel happy that IGP Nasir Durrani has reformed the police and its culture. This is the change,” Pervez Khattak added.
He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police is autonomous and all decisions concerning the police are being taken by its officers. He maintained that there is no interference in the affairs of police.
IGP Nasir Durrani said he is proud to be commanding the force of lions that has sacrificed the most for restoring peace in the country. “The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police force is probably the bravest force in the world and has sacrificed hundreds of cops over the last one decade to restore peace,” he added.
He said those who sacrificed their lives for the country needed to be honoured and this is the reason they decided to hold the “Martyrs Day” every year. He recalled some incidents in Swabi, Swat, Peshawar, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan where the cops exhibited unprecedented bravery. He lauded the operations launched by the army in various parts of the country and said it helped improve the situation in the country.
The IGP also paid homage to the martyred students of the Army Public School, Peshawar saying the developments after the incident resulted in improvement in the law and order situation to a great extent.
Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Amjad Ali Khan also paid tributes to the fallen cops. Family members of a few martyred cops also spoke on the occasion. “I am proud to be the mother of Shaheed Moeen,” said the burqa-clad mother of a cop who had sacrificed his life some years ago. A father and a son of slain cops also spoke to the gathering and pledged to render more sacrifices for the country.
A contingent of the women commandoes, Special Combat Unit and the wounded cops also exhibited their skills to much applause.The Khyber Pakht unkhwa Police force had decided to observe the “Martyrs Day” on the death anniversary of Safwat Ghayur, an additional inspector general of police and Commandant Frontier Constabulary, to pay homage to all those who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.
Camps were held at various places in the city and the province on Tuesday and throughout the past one week. Blood donation camps were also held where hundreds of cops turned up and donated blood. Huge banners and boards have been displaced in Peshawar and other districts carrying pictures of the slain cops to pay tribute to them.
According to the record of the Central Police Office, a total of 1,508 policemen were killed in various kinds of attacks in the province since 1971. The increase in violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent years could be gauged from the fact that the police casualties remained 375 in 35 years from 1971 to 2005, but the figure shot up to 1,133 in less than a decade (since 2006 till date).
The government awards a compensation package including a cash, plot of land, salary till the age of 60 and other benefits to the family of a martyred cop. However, over 320 such families are waiting for their turn to get the job of ASI due to non-availability of posts.
According to a source, IGP Nasir Durrani had proposed creation of 600 seats of ASIs exclusively for the martyrs to accommodate the pending cases and ensure immediate recruitment of the family members of any slain cop in future.
The last one decade was the worst for the KP Police, especially in Peshawar, Swat and southern districts of the province. The worst year, as per the Central Police Office statistics, was 2009 when 207 cops were killed, followed by 176 in 2008, 148 in 2011, 127 in 2013, 109 in 2010, 108 in 2007 and 101 in 2014. As many as 31 policemen have been killed in attacks in 2015 so far.
The provincial capital tops the list for experiencing the most number of killings of policemen. Those killed in Peshawar include the most decorated cops such as Additional IG Safwat Ghayur, DIG Malik Mohammad Saad and DIG Abid Ali. Abid Ali was killed in firing while the two senior most cops became the victim to suicide bombing.