Injured cop’s heroics forgotten by the government

Israr Tanoli lost his eye during the operation against TLP’s Faizabad protest

ISLAMABAD: Israr Tanoli, a policeman who lost his eye in the line of duty during last year’s operation against protestors of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, looks for government’s support to bear the cost of medical treatment.

He bore the expenses for the operation of his eye, amounting to Rs222,000 at a private hospital in Lahore. He was told by the government that Rs10,000 may only be refunded. Israr Tanoli has to undergo another operation in November.

“One can’t get the artificial eye surgery done and get other medical treatment in such a meagre amount,” Israr Tanoli told The Express Tribune.

A t the time of the incident, former Interior minister Ahsan Iqbal had assured him of complete medical assistance besides awarding him the reward of Rs0.5 million. Moreover, Hamza Shehbaz Sharif had announced he will personally cover expenses for medical treatment.



Later, he was rewarded Rs0.5 million by the police department but the promise to give him complete medical treatment was not honoured.

Israr Tanoli rescued a Frontier Constabulary (FC) person who was being badly beaten by the protestors of TLP.

Tanoli as commando of Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) was part of the striker team, which was given the job to tackle the protesters who were occupying the Faizabad Interchange. He had no arms or ammunition but only a helmet and shield.

“When I watched that the FC person was trapped by the protesters and they were harshly beating him, I decided to rescue him. I could have avoided the task but I preferred to go over there and finally rescue the injured FC personnel and put him on an ambulance. However, when I was moving away I was hit by a stone in the eye,” he narrated his story.



He said he had the choice to leave the task of rescuing him but he did not want to be known as a coward. “I had to do my job at any cost for the sake of my own honour,” he added.

There was a lot of talk about his heroic efforts and assurances were made to provide him every sort of facility for treatment but he gradually became a forgotten tale.

Tanoli is a highly qualified person with the degree of MSc Chemistry and he was doing MPhil from Quaid-e-Azam University when he experienced this unfortunate incident.

He is the sole bread earner of a large family comprising four brothers, a sister and parents. His father is a bus driver and due to financial constraints Israr Tanoli who is now 26 years old, has been supporting himself to get education by doing some other jobs right after eight grade. All his siblings are younger than him and they are completing their education.

He told The Express Tribune that it was his right to get Quaid-e-Azam President Medal (QPM) for his services in the police department but he has to struggle a lot to get it.

“My file pertaining to rewarding me with QPM is pending in the National Police Bureau and I am still struggling to get it,” he said.

The police department of the capital was generous enough to transfer his services to the accounts department from the operation branch. Tanoli still cannot perform his official duty as his eye still hurts badly and he has to wash the implanted eye five times a day.