Akhtar Ali Shah likely to be made K-P police chief

Being senior most officer in service, the additional IGP has emerged as a strong candidate for post of K-P IG

PESHAWAR: Akhtar Ali Shah, the current additional IG of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Police, is likely to replace outgoing provincial police chief Nasir Khan Durrani, who is set to retire on March 16.

Shah, being the senior most officer in the service, has emerged as a strong candidate for the post, sources told The Express Tribune on Sunday.

Working as DIG Special Branch in 2006, Shah introduced the first-ever counter-terrorism policy in the province and has a vast experience in the field of counter-terrorism.



Also, there are signs that K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak favours him due to his vast experience in war on terror as he not only served well during the most difficult times when the militancy was at its peak in the province and the adjacent tribal belt, but also initiated joint police-military operations in Malakand, Bannu, Charsadda, Mardan, and Shabqader districts, which were once considered the hub of militant activity.

Despite miraculously surviving a suicide attack in Mardan which killed several policemen, Shah served throughout those difficult years of militancy in K-P when most officers preferred to serve outside the province due to the fact that police was the primary target of terrorists. Soon after the attack, he was offered a posting outside the province, which he refused.

The additional IGP himself led the police force in various operations against militants in Mardan division from the year 2008 to 2011. When militants had taken control of Shabqadar and parts of Charsadda, Shah played an instrumental role in establishing the writ of the government in those areas through successful strike operations.

In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded the Quaid-e-Azam Police Medal as well as Pakistan Police Medal by the government. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government in K-P appointed Shah as the home secretary, where he worked for the reorganisation of the Police Elite Force and established a centre for elite force training.