People with vested interests out to demoralise jawans, says IGP

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Khan on Thursday said people with vested interests were taking advantage of the protest by the policemen as the cops continued their sit-in in Lakki Marwat on the fourth day.

The police chief said the Central Police Office as well as the local officers were aware of the legitimate concerns and were always ready to redress these complaints.“Some miscreants are trying to complicate matters and demoralize the jawans. The police leadership is well aware of their nefarious intentions and they will not succeed,” the IGP told the media on Thursday.

The police chief said the KP police and security forces were playing their role in establishing a peaceful, safe and prosperous society by making the sacrifices of martyrs on every front. “Police have sacrificed over 2000 men from constables to additional IGP in the last many years. This force is fighting terrorism and along with the district administration and other forces are thwarting the nefarious intentions of the terrorists,” said Akhtar Hayat.

He continued that law and order was restored in the province due to the efforts of police, army and public. The armed forces have fully supported the police at every difficult stage. The police chief continued that there is an exemplary professional relationship between the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police and the Pakistan Army, including the Frontier Corps, due to which all challenges are being tackled well.

“In order to increase the efficiency of the police in the southern districts and to protect the cops from attacks, the provincial government has sanctioned 1757 new posts while 36 vehicles, most of which are being protected by armoring, 12 APCs, 100 motorcycles, 7 trucks have been provided to the force,” said the IGP.

He said police is a disciplinary body in which complaints are brought to the officers only by following the rules and regulations and regular disciplinary action is taken for any violation of SOP.

Meanwhile, a large number of policemen in Lakki Marwat continued blocking the main Indus Highway for the fourth consecutive day against the everyday attacks and the silence of the government and their bosses.

Many policemen in the Lakki district were not performing their duty and had joined the protest camps.The sit in started on Monday and continued on Thursday. Thousands of passengers travelling between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, Balochistan remained stranded for hours after which they took the Dera Ismail Khan Motorway to reach thier destination.

Policemen in Lakki Marwat district had taken to streets against the innumerable attacks and the martyrdom of their colleagues in the recent days. They were also demanding handing over complete control of security of the district to police, asking for withdrawal of other forces.