KP govt to regularise services of 9,620 cops

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is going to regularise the services of over 9,620 policemen recruited on contract in the last many years during a cabinet meeting in a couple of days, a source told The News. The source said that these policemen called the special police officers (SPOs) were recruited during different tenures to assist the regular police in fighting terrorism. A large number of them were recruited in Swat and other districts of the Malakand division where terrorism was at its peak.

Many SPOs sacrificed their lives in suicide attacks, bomb blasts, ambushes, target killings and other terrorist incidents. “The KP cabinet is meeting in a couple of days to approve the regularisation of 9,620 SPOs. The lists have been sent to the government through the Home Department for final approval,” the source said.

Among those recruited during different tenures included 1,558 SPOs in Peshawar, 40 in Mardan, 299 in Nowshera, 393 in Charsadda, 162 in Swabi, 161 in Haripur, 98 in Abbottabad , 100 in Mansehra, 81 in Upper Kohistan and 275 in Torghar. Besides, 2,182 were recruited in Swat, 980 in Lower Dir, 592 in Upper Dir, 298 in Chitral, 763 in Buner, 737 in Shangla, 99 in Kohat, 74 in Hangu, 456 in Bannu, 99 in Lakki Marwat, 97 in Dera Ismail Khan, 16 in the Special Branch and 70 in the Counter-Terrorism Department.