Equal compensation for all martyred police officials sought

Petitioner wants police to make process of securing the compensation easier, submit details of all packages

PESHAWAR: With Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on the front lines in the war on terror, a former government official has gone to court to ensure that the province honours those who fell fighting in the war by properly compensating them.



A two-member-bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) comprising Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Musarrat Hilali heard a petition filed by Khurshid Khan, former deputy attorney general of Pakistan, urging the court to direct the provincial government to provide uniform Shuhada Package (compensation to officials martyred by terrorists) to all the police martyrs irrespective of their service ranks.

The PHC subsequently issued notices to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government and the Inspector General of Police to explain the mechanism under which compensation is provided to martyred policemen under the Shuhada.

Khurshid had in November filed a writ petition before the PHC, urging it to issue directives to ensure that the families of fallen policemen continue to receive their salaries until their natural retirement ages.

“All our forces have rendered sacrifices,” the petitioner told the court.

“All martyred personnel are equal for us. Why then are they treated differently and are not being provided with equal compensation?” he asked.

The petitioner told the court that more than 80,000 people have lost their lives in the war on terrorism and extremism. Apart from the military, personnel of the police and other paramilitary forces have also rendered tremendous sacrifices for the country. Therefore, it makes no sense to treat the martyred differently by giving them different levels of Shuhada packages.

He went on to urge the court to direct the K-P government to issue a complete list of security personnel who have so far lost their lives in the war on terrorism in K-P and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

“Every martyr has been classified into different categories in this country,” Khurshid argued in the court.

“After their death, their relatives have to visit government officers for years to secure the announced package,” he lamented.

He asked the court to make the process of securing the compensation easier for them and make the Shuhada package available at their doorstep.

Khurshid requested the court direct the K-P police to detail all the different kinds of packages there are at the moment for the martyred police officers.



The petitioner also asked the PHC to direct the respondents to hold the main event of Shuhada Day (August 4) at the city’s council hall instead of at police lines.

He listed the provincial government through the chief secretary, provincial Inspector General of Police and the provincial finance secretary as the respondents in the case.

The two-member-bench directed the respondents to file their reply in the case within 15 days.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2017.