No reward: K-P has yet to approve police upgrade: IG

Says increase in FC, Punjab police pay scale creating disparity in K-P

SHABQADAR: Inspector-General (IG) Police of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Nasir Khan Durrani has said the summary to upgrade the police force has not been approved yet, though he has forwarded it to the relevant quarters sometimes back.

“Although police in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have a history of bravery and rendering sacrifices, the provincial government has yet to approve the plan to upgrade the force,” the IG said while talking to the media at Sardheri, Charsadda, after attending Police darbar on Thursday. “After the 18th Amendment, law and order is a provincial subject and provinces should compensate and upgrade their police forces.”

Durrani said increase in the pay scale of police and the FC in Punjab raises concern in K-P because this would create disparity in the services provided by security personnel in the two provinces.

Meanwhile, police officials attending the darbar said they expressed their concern with the authorities over a better equipped FC force at the time of Imran Khan’s announcement of ‘lockdown’ of the federal capital.

They said the KP police have not been given its due share despite the fact that the force has been in the forefront in the fight against terrorism.

An official said today the FC and Punjab police have higher salaries and enjoying other privileges as compared to the police in K-P, causing disappointment among them.

The official, who did not want to be named as he was not allowed to talk to the media, said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali has announced Rs50,000 cash prizes for each FC and Punjab police official who performed duty during the Islamabad lockdown, and also announced a 50% raise in their basic pays, while the rest will be raised in the upcoming budget.

He said it is the KP police that have been fighting terrorism bravely and have rendered great sacrifices for restoration of peace in the province and added their sacrifices have been ignored. “Those who performed political duties at Islamabad were granted appreciation letters and their salaries have been raised as well. This is very disappointing.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2016.