Only rankers left for posting in smaller districts, troubled circles

No PSP posted as SP Rural in over a decade

Mostly DSPs were given shoulder
promotion to post them as SP in rural areas

PESHAWAR: No officer of the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) has served as superintendent of police (SP) in the troubled Rural Circle of the provincial capital in the last almost 10 years.The same is the case with the troubled Saddar sub-division where no PSP was posted in the last over a decade.

Also, the smaller districts of the province including Torghar, Battagram, Kohistan and Tank could not get any PSP as district police officer in many years.

Mostly deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) serving in grade-17 were given shoulder promotion to post them as SP Rural, considered to be the worst posting for any officer of this rank as it is a risky job due to constant threats to life. Two SPs of the circle, both from the lower ranks, have lost their lives while heading their respective forces in 2012.

DSP Shaukat Khan was promoted last week to post him as SP Rural after the retirement of his predecessor Shakir Bangash, also a ranker. “The last PSP who remained SP Rural was Karim Khan back in 2005-06. No one of this cadre was later posted to lead the force in this circle that witnessed hundreds of terrorist attacks in the last over 10 years of violence,” a source told The News.

The source added that the last PSP who remained SDPO Saddar Circle, comprising the Badaber and Matani Police Station, served almost 10 years ago. That officer has already reached the senior position of the deputy inspector general, Dera Ismail Khan.

As far as the Rural Circle is concerted, two of its heads were martyred in terrorist attacks in 2012. “SP Kalam Khan was killed in a suicide attack on his car on Ring Road near Pishtakhara while SP Khurshid Khan was killed when armed militants stormed a police post in Matani the same year,” said a source. Both the officers were promoted from the lower ranks.

The Saddar sub-division, which couldn’t get any PSP officer as head in over ten years, lost one of its SDPOs Abdul Rasheed Khan in a suicide attack in January 2011.

The deputy inspector general of the Bannu Range, Abid Ali was also killed in the limits of the Saddar sub-division of the Rural Circle in 2006. Another senior police officer Dilawar Bangash narrowly survived an attack on his convoy in the area, though some of his gunmen were killed. Many junior officers and officials too lost their lives while serving in this troubled part of the capital city.

“Normally the PSPs are posted to head the City and Cantt circles in Peshawar, even when they are still in grade-17. No PSP was posted in the Rural Circle where only rankers were left to lead the force,” said the source. The same is the case with the sub-divisions in the Rural Circle, especially those bordering Mohmand Agency and Darra Adamkhel, where no PSP was posted in many years.

Not only the circles but the PSPs never preferred posting as district police officers in the smaller districts like Torghar, Battagram, Kohistan and Tank. Even the bosses at the Central Police Office never considered posting their most talented officers in these remote towns to take special measures for improving law and order. 

“Many consider it a sort of undermining them if they are posted in any of these districts even if they are still in grade-17. In majority of cases, DSPs or acting SPs were given shoulder promotion to fill these positions,” said the source.

In Punjab, normally a PSP gets any district after serving for a few years in grade-18 as SP. However, in KP many cops served as DPOs in relatively bigger districts while still in grade-17.

The inspector general of police Nasir Khan Durrani told The News that they don’t believe in any such discrimination between PSP officers and non-PSP.

“Officers are posted on the basis of their suitability after due consultation of their RPOs and CCPO.  There are few places where previous knowledge of the area and language is very important and posting new officers may not be very useful for the general public of that area,” argued Nasir Durrani.