British media praises Pakistan’s ‘toughest cop’

LONDON: Dubbed Pakistan’s toughest policeman, Shaheed Chaudhry Aslam Khan received praise in British media for his constant pursuit of the various types of terrorists in Pakistan’s biggest city, Karachi, for several years and taking down many of them.
The Independent wrote that Chaudhry Aslam, a 30-year veteran of the police service, counted everyone from mobsters to militants among his enemies and he had been the target of up to ten assassination attempts.
British media used the police chief’s famous quotes that he used expressing his resolve to strike at terrorists at all costs. About the terrorists who kill Pakistanis in the name of religion, The Indy quoted him as saying: “They call themselves Muslims but they are unbelievers. This will make me even more determined to carry on operations against them. Such things do not scare me. I’m staying right here. They can try and come for me whenever they want and I’ll be ready. I will give my life but I won’t bow to terrorists.”
The paper said that Karachi is notorious for its violence. “A combination of common criminals, politically- affiliated gangs and well- armed militants have created a situation where killings and murder are a daily occurrence.
In 2012, the most recent year for which figures are available, around 2,000 people were killed.”Euronews wrote that Chaudhry Aslam had ‘nine lives’ but lost to Taliban. It said Aslam always rejected criticism of his police force when human rights advocates, as well as the Taleban, said police were involved in extra-judicial executions.
“Aslam often complained about the lack of police funding, training and equipment. Many officers do not have enough bullets for their weapons, have no training in evidence gathering and do not earn enough to support their families,” Euronews wrote in an article redacted from the Reuters news agency.
BBC wrote that Aslam’s murder is being seen as a “major blow to the government’s efforts to fight crime and militancy in Pakistan’s biggest city”, adding that his “dogged and harsh pursuit of militants made him a long-term target of the Taliban”.
The Telegraph said that Chaudhry Aslam had a reputation for “using unorthodox methods – making him Pakistan’s answer to Dirty Harry”.“He operated largely at night, running countless operations against terrorist targets. He claimed to have collected at least £600,000 in bounty payments in a career that saw him meet the risk of death head on.”
The paper quoted him as saying: “For me, in my religion, if I die in the line of duty fighting criminals then I am a martyr and for us that’s like a new life.”When once asked by the paper about allegations of brutality, Aslam famously said: “What am I supposed to do? They carry out bomb blasts in my city,” he said. “Should I go and talk to them nicely? If they throw bombs should I start throwing flowers?”Western media credited Aslam for “waging an uncompromising campaign against the Taleban in the country’s largest city”.