KP police given main role to maintain law, order

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Apex Committee on Thursday decided to give the police a leading role in maintaining law and order in some districts of the province after strengthening the force.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, said an official communique.

The meeting was attended by Advisor to the Chief Minister on Finance Muzammil Aslam; Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry; Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur, Corps Commander Peshawar Lieutenant General Omar Ahmed Bukhari and other civil and military officials.

The meeting reviewed the overall law and order situation in detail, with extensive deliberations on improving the deteriorating security conditions in certain districts of the province and made important decisions to address the challenges.

The participants also offered fateha for the martyrs of security forces and law enforcement agencies, paying rich tribute to those who laid down own their lives for peace and security.

The participants agreed on enhancing the capacity of the police and civil administration. It was decided that police force would be provided with bulletproof vehicles on a priority basis and recruitment would be carried out forthwith to fill out the vacant positions.

The meeting emphasised the need for continued joint efforts by all the stakeholders including the civil government, security forces, and the general public to combat terrorism.

As an acknowledgment of the sacrifices of the security forces, the chief minister decided to give the special package to the heirs of 178 martyrs of the Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who were martyred over the past six months.

The families of martyred soldiers will receive Rs1 million, while families of martyred officers will get Rs2.00 million.

It was decided to provide employment opportunities to the children of the Pakistan Army and FC martyrs in the police and other government departments on a priority basis.

The committee gave special consideration to the current law and order situation in Kurram district, thoroughly reviewing the existing situation there, its root causes, and underlying factors.

It was decided that all available options would be utilized to restore peace, protect the lives and property of people, and assert government writ in the area.

The forum underscored the role of public support in achieving sustainable peace and highlighted the importance of unified efforts of all stakeholders, including the government, military, police, and administration.

It asserted that the provincial government had sought the assistance of the security forces under Article 245 of the Constitution for anti-terrorism operations, adding that security forces, in coordination with police and civil administration, were making efforts to curb terrorism in the province.

The chief minister said peace was the top priority, and there would be no compromise on it, and added that the civil government, administration, and military were on the same page to fight terrorism and would continue joint efforts until the issue was resolved.

Gandapur described the fight against terrorism as a collective battle that could only be won through joint and unified efforts.

He appreciated the Pakistan Army’s contributions and cooperation with the government in restoring peace in the province.