New K-P police force

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police force has been transformed. The Levies force and the Khasadar force have been merged with the police. The expansion should prove to be welcome news for the province, which has seen more terrorism than much of anything else in the last decade. Earlier, members of the forces argued that their pay should be equivalent to that of the K-P police. Now that they have been combined with the force, the equitable pay should bring greater incentive and efficiency in the fulfillment of roles and responsibilities.

K-P itself has expanded with several new tribal areas under its jurisdiction. Without strong policing during this transformational time for areas that previously did not have modern law and order, the amalgamation could have proven worse than when the tribal areas existed autonomously. Thus, this step taken by K-P Chief Minister Mehmood Khan and Prime Minister Imran Khan was the next logical move following the merging of the tribal areas with K-P. Higher pay creates greater incentive, which means workers will do their jobs in a more responsible manner and with better motivation. While there is a lull in K-P at the moment with reduced incidents of terrorism reported, wisdom dictates that the day K-P is out of danger and civilians can roam about freely is still far away. Although the two forces bring their own set of expertise to the K-P police force, the provincial government must ensure that the newly-inducted officers receive the necessary training. Greater human resource is not advantageous unless it is properly trained.

Unsung heroes deserve praise, as well as tangible rewards, to learn that their work is appreciated rather than taken for granted. Those heroes are the modest security personnel who do as they are told, putting aside their own fears and anxieties, leaving worried families at home, and proceeding to fight battles against anti-state elements. The K-P chief minister’s recognition of the Levies and Khasadar forces’ tribulations are lauded. Entities working for the country are entitled to receive reasonable compensation.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2019.

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