Tahir Dawar’s kidnapping, murder probe: Family reiterates demand for international commission

PESHAWAR: The family of the slain superintendent of police (SP) Mohammad Tahir Dawar has once again demanded an inquiry into the death and kidnapping of the martyred police officer through an international commission.

“We waited for the government to show some seriousness in probing the death and abduction of my father. No one even contacted us during the last three months. We now demand an international commission to probe the murder of my father and we will stand by our demand till the last breath,” Amjad Tahir Dawar, son of the martyred police officer, told The News.

Amjad was disappointed that no one from the government, Interior Ministry or even the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government or police bothered to contact the family after they set a deadline a few days back.

In December, Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi had told the media that the prime minister has ordered the formation of a five-member parliamentary committee to review progress in the investigation in the murder.

The committee would comprise of three members from the treasury benches and two members would be from the opposition. “They are yet to form the parliamentary commission which speaks volume about their seriousness in probing the case,” said Amjad.

On Sunday, he also posted his demand on Twitter with inviting the attention of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi as well as PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

“We waited for three months and put our trust in government but they seem reluctant and unwilling to investigate the murder of my father as per their promises. Nobody contacted us in the last three days. They were silent when he was abducted and they are silent today,” said Amjad Dawar.

On Wednesday, Amjad rejected the joint investigation team formed to probe the murder of Tahir Dawar. Tahir Dawar, who was serving as SP Rural Peshawar, went missing from the federal capital where he had gone on a short leave on October 26.

None of the guards of the SP was accompanying him when he left for Islamabad. The missing SP belonged to North Waziristan. He was promoted as acting SP only a couple of months before his death. He had survived a number of attempts on his life, including two suicide attacks in Bannu in recent years. As family and friends had been demanding his safe recovery, nothing was heard from any senior official of the KP government or the police force.