Ex-IGP Tahir worked for disabled cops’ welfare

PESHAWAR: Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammad Tahir worked for the welfare of families of the martyred cops in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and got incentives for the policemen who lost limbs in acts of subversion.

Mohammad Tahir has now assumed charge as IGP Punjab after serving briefly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the recent general election. He had been appointed IGP on June 14 in time for the July 25 general election.

He is an officer from the 16th Common Training Programme of the Police Service of Pakistan.

He had replaced Salahuddin Khan Mahsud, who has been reappointed as the provincial police chief on September 10. During his brief stint in office as IGP KP, Mohammad Tahir worked for the welfare of families of the martyred policemen and made efforts to get more incentives for the cops who had lost limbs in terrorist attacks and encounters.

The government has promised to introduce super health cards for these policemen to meet their medical needs.

Mohammad Tahir refused to buckle under pressure when the caretaker government directed him to remove the Senior Superintendent of Police Operations Peshawar after a suicide attack on the election rally of Awami National Party leader Haroon Bashir Bilour.

Haroon Bilour was martyred in the attack along with 22 others while several others were wounded. The IGP while refusing to remove the SSP told the government that the attack didn’t take place due to the fault of any police official.

He had said it would not be a wise decision a few days before the polls to remove a deputy city police chief who has already done his homework for the election.

The caretaker government had also recommended the transfer of the IGP, chief secretary and other officials after the bomb attack. However, none of them was transferred.

After taking over the office of IGP Punjab, Mohammad Tahir has vowed to introduce reforms in the force on the pattern of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police. Former IGP KP Nasir Khan Durrani who has retired from service has already been tasked by the PTI government to make recommendations for initiating police reforms in Punjab.