People continue to visit Tahir Dawar’s residence

PESHAWAR: A large number of people visited the residence of martyred police officer Mohammad Tahir Khan Dawar to offer Fateha and condolences to the family on Friday.

The people have been visiting his residence in Peshawar’s Hayatabad locality since November 13 when the news of his death circulated on the social and mainstream media.

A large number of tribal elders from his native North Waziristan, friends and colleagues visited the residence of the deceased Superintendent of Police (SP) Rural Peshawar and offered condolences on his tragic death to his brothers, sons and other family members.

However, the absence of senior police officers was felt as only his friends in the police force came to offer Fateha. The son of the slain senior cop after his funeral at Hayatabad had asked the officials concerned to quit as they had failed to make any effort for his recovery.

On Friday, former chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti belonging to the Awami National Party (ANP) and a few lawmakers also turned up at Tahir Dawar’s house to offer Fateha.

Twice Namaz-i-Janaza was offered for Tahir Dawar in Peshawar on Thursday. One was held at the Police Lines where the ruling elite and police officials prayed for his soul after the body was flown in a helicopter from Landikotal in Khyber tribal district to Peshawar. The other, bigger Namaz-i-Janaza was held at a park near the Sher Shah Market in Hayatabad Phase 6 located close to Tahir Dawar’s house. His relatives, friends and well-wishers offered Namaz-i-Janaza before the body was taken to the Hayatabad graveyard for burial.

The members of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) raised slogans after the funeral against the government and certain institutions and demanded an independent judicial inquiry into the assassination.

Tahir Dawar had gone missing in Islamabad on October 26 and nobody in the government and the police had any clue about his whereabouts. His body was found in Afghanistan on November 14 and delivered by the Afghan government at the Torkham border after two days. The Afghan officials had insisted on handing over the body to Tahir Dawar’s family, fellow Daur tribesmen and PTM lawmaker Mohsin Dawar instead of the delegation of Pakistan government that included Minister of State for Interior Shahryar Afridi, KP Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai, provincial government spokesman Ajmal Khan Wazir and Khyber tribal district deputy commissioner Mahmood Aslam Wazir.

Tahir Daur belonged to Khadi village in North Waziristan. He was promoted as acting SP a couple of months ago. He survived a number of attempts on his life, including two suicide attacks, in Bannu in recent years.

“He was a brave policeman who narrowly escaped death on a number of occasions. On one occasion blood was oozing out his body after receiving a bullet in Bannu and doctors struggled to save him,” Sajjad Khan, the district police officer, Mardan, told The News. He had remained the boss of Tahir Dawar in Peshawar and Bannu.

A Pashto poem written and recited by Tahir Dawar narrating the ordeal of his people due to the conflict and displacement in North Waziristan went viral on the social media in the last four days. Thousands of people shared it on their social media accounts.

Meanwhile, the KP govt announced Shaheed Package for the family of martyred Superintendent of Police Tahir Dawar.

Under the package, the family will get salary of the officer till 60 years of age, his son will be recruited as ASI while his family will get Rs 15 million.

Besides, there will be free education for his kids as well as medical facilities for the family.

Another report said ANP announced holding demonstrations and rallies all over KP to protest Tahir Dawar’s mysterious assassination.