Honouring the fallen: Afridi promises more facilities for heirs of police martyrs

Says will turn Islamabad police into a model force


Our Correspondent November 13, 2018
PHOTO: AFP/ FILE

ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Interior Shaharyar Afridi said On Monday that the whole nation salutes its martyrs and the children of martyrs are responsibility of the state.

He was talking to the heirs of policemen who had died in the line of duty. “God chose 41 personnel of Islamabad police as martyrs,” he said at a ceremony held at Islamabad Police Lines to honour the martyred policemen.

Afridi said that the Pakistani mothers have never shunned from sending their sons to the call of duty. “In Balochistan, when two sons of a mother were martyred in police she sent the third too one in police,” he said. “We salute martyrs of the military, the police and the nation who remain steadfast in the face of terrorism and violent extremism,” Afridi said.

He said that in his own family there are children orphaned in the war against terrorism.

The minister of state for interior said that though policemen were on the frontline fighting terrorism, they were not getting the required facilities.

“No facilities are given to police, but fingers are raised on their performance,” he said.

“I will transform Islamabad police into a model police,” the misinster said adding “in new Pakistan we promise that we won’t compromise on Islamabad police’s benefits.”

Afterwards speaking to the gathering IG Islamabad police Amir Zulfiqar said: “martyrs are our crown jewels.”

However, he said that the heirs of the martyrs need to be taken care of. “In other provinces if a constable is martyred the family is given Rs2 million while in Islamabad the package is only of Rs0.3 million,” Zulfiqar said asking the state minister to increase the package.

The top cop noted that the families of Islamabad police martyrs are not getting any facilities.

Rawalpindi cops suspended

While Afridi vowed to make Islamabad police a model one, the whole night of Rawalpindi’s Airport police station was suspended for messing with a senior government official.

Personnel at the night shift had thought that the man who walked into the precinct late on a chilly night was just a mortal Pakistani and treated him the same way. Instead it turned out to be a top official of the government that they had rubbed the wrong way and he got them suspended even before the night was over.

Police sources informed Daily Express that a resident of Scheme 3, Ahsanul Haq was traveling in a car with his wife when an armed suspect robbed them at gunpoint near Ghareebad and fled.

Haq went directly to the Airport police station but the police did not take any substantial action. A relative of the affected citizen who is said to be a top officer of a government organisation went late at night to the police station and inquired about what action had been taken by the police to catch the robber.

This angered four police officials including the night clerk and the son of the SHO Westridge police station who was residing illegally in the police station.

They had a verbal altercation with the top officer and also hurled threats not knowing who they were dealing with. The government officer did not waith till the sunrise and started ringing up top brass of the Rawalpindi. Scrambling on the phones from high-and-mighty CPO Abbas Ahsan ordered DSP Civil Lines to reach Airport police station and investigate the matter.

The DSP rushed to the precinct in early hours and as per initial investigation found the four police officials and son of the SHO Westridge as being responsible for negligence and threatening a senior government official.

The CPO immediately suspended all four police officials including Head Constable Tahir, Munshi Shafaqat and two constables Muhammad Faisal and Faisal Mehmood and transferred them to the quarter guard before morning.

Son of the SHO was arrested and locked up. The CPO said that the SHO Airport police station was not suspended as he was on a holiday but he has been charge sheeted for demonstrating negligence.

On the other hand, the police have registered the case of the couple that was robbed while a report of quarrelling with a top officer of a governed institution, 2/24, has also been registered. Further investigations will be carried out by the DSP Civil lines, sources said.

Body found

Shezad Town police have recovered body of a 35-year old man from a drain. The deceased identified as Naveed Khan Afsar had been strangulated.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13th, 2018.

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