Remembering the fallen: ‘SP Khurshid was militants’ fiercest enemy’

Khan had served with police since 1984 and led an exemplary team in one of the most dangerous areas.

PESHAWAR: Becoming the second superintendent (SP) to be killed by militants in rural Peshawar, SP Khurshid Khan was laid to rest in his ancestral town Dagai in Charsadda on Monday.

Khurshid had taken the post of SP two months ago after the transfer of SP Shafiullah who was serving in the area to Mardan. SP Khurshid served in three positions as deputy superintendent of police (DSP) of the areas of Badabher and Mattani before his promotion to SP. In this short time as SP Khurshid had adapted to militant tactics successfully.

Khurshid, originally from the Mukaram Khan village in Dagai, Charsadda, joined the police force in 1984 as an assistant sub-inspector. In 1994, he was promoted to sub-inspector and later in 2009 as DSP. “He served as DSP in one of the most difficult circles in the entire district where clashes with militants took place almost daily and his team along with SP Kalam Khan was exemplary,” said Ijaz Khan, a police constable who served under Khurshid.

Ijaz said that Khurshid’s predecessor, Kalam, previously served in Swat and was accustomed to fighting irregular tactics militants used. “Kalam had complete knowledge of this while other policemen had no such experience,” he said. “So while serving under him, as DSP Khurshid adopted his methods quickly and motivated his men the same way too.” SP Khurshid was one of the few SP’s to acknowledge that this war needed to be fought with the limited resources available.

The increasing number of remote-controlled bomb attacks in the district compelled police to install radio frequency (RF) jammers in all police vehicles. Despite this, his vehicle was targeted on Frontier Road. Khurshid had brushed off journalists when they questioned him why some jammers installed in police vehicles were not working. He insisted at the time that he had deliberately deactivated the ones on his vehicle.  However, officials at the Mattani and Badabher police stations disputed Khurshid’s assertion and said the jammers were malfunctioning and were not working properly.

Funeral prayers Khurshid and the other six police officers and Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel that were killed in the attack was held Monday that was also attended by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti and Senior Minister Bashir Bilour.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2012.