Afghanistan hands over SP Tahir Dawar’s body after initial refusal

PESHAWAR: The body of slain Superintendent of Police (SP) Mohammad Tahir Khan Dawar was handed over by Afghan officials to the Pakistani authorities at the Torkham border after two and a half hours delay on Thursday.

The Afghans delayed the process by insisting that they would hand over the body to the relatives and tribe of the martyred police officer only. Tribal elders from Mohmand and Shinwari tribes from Nangarhar province also accompanied the body.

The body was received by Minister of State for Interior Shahryar Afridi, and representatives of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government Shaukat Yousafzai and Ajmal Khan Wazir. Senior police and army officials and a large number of tribesmen were present at Torkham to receive the body on the third day after it was found in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.

The coffin was taken by road from Torkham to Landikotal garrison from where it was airlifted to Peshawar where arrangements were already made for his Namaz-e-Janaza. "We have lost a brave colleague. It’s a huge loss for us," Capital City Police Officer Qazi Jamilur Rehman told The News while receiving the body in an ambulance.

The funeral prayer for the slain officer was held at the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines in Peshawar that has been witness to many such funerals for fallen cops. A smart contingent of the Peshawar Police presented the salute to the coffin of the martyred policeman. He was laid to rest in Hayatabad late in the night amid touching scenes. A large number of people, including officials, attended his funeral.

Governor Shah Farman, Chief Minister Mehmood Khan, Corps Commander Peshawar Lt. General Shaheen Mazhar Mehmood, Minister of State for Interior Shahryar Afridi, Inspector General of Police Salahuddin Mehsud, CCPO, ministers and a large number of people attended the funeral at the Police Lines at 9:00pm.

Meanwhile, complaining about the delay in handing over of the body by the Afghan government, Shahryar Afridi said the Afghan authorities kept them waiting for two and a half hours at the Torkham border.

Speaking at a hurriedly-called press conference at the Chief Minister’s House, he said the Afghan officials were insisting on delivering the body to the Pakhtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leaders, including Member National Assembly from North Waziristan Mohsin Dawar. He said the Afghan government had announced through its foreign ministry that Tahir Dawar’s body would be handed over to the Pakistan Consulate in Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province, but this wasn’t done.

The minister vowed to apprehend the culprits and foil the designs of the enemies bent upon dividing the Pakistani nation.

Flanked by Shaukat Yousafzai, spokesman for the provincial government, Ajmal Wazir, and Ahmaduddin, brother of the slain SP, he said they were part of a delegation which had gone to Torkham to receive Tahir Dawar’s body. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan would brief the nation today (Friday) and take the nation into confidence over the tragic murder of SP Tahir Dawar and also announce the future line of action. He said Tahir Dawar was the son of the soil and all the stakeholders and government were monitoring the situation, but none of them was issuing any sweeping statement on the issue. The minister said he had given his statement in the Senate.

Regarding the contradictory statement of the prime minister’s media assistant, Iftikhar Durrani wherein he had said that the police officer Tahir Dawar was safe and sound and present in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the minister said that was only because the Afghan government was not confirming the report of his murder, the government officials could not give any sweeping statement on such sensitive issues. He said the attitude of the Afghan government was deplorable and shameful. “It should think about its attitude towards Pakistan on such a tragic issue,” he argued.

He believed politics was being played on the body of the SP Tahir Dawar only to create unrest among Pakistanis. Shaukat Yousafzai, too, said that they were kept waiting for two and a half hours at the Pak-Afghan border. He said they would hold a meeting on the issue and not compromise on it. He said the family of Tahir Dawar was important for them. “The state was not a silent spectator in this case. The state and its agencies were in contact and coordinating over the issue,” he stressed. He said this was an important question as to how the body of SP Tahir Dawar was recovered from Afghanistan.

Ahmaduddin Dawar in his brief statement said his brother had rendered great sacrifices for the country. “I am proud that my brother sacrificed his life for the country and became a Shaheed,” he remarked. He said his brother had survived life attempts in the past. He added that he wanted the government to hold a proper investigation into the incident and apprehend those behind the murder of his bother.

The newly-appointed spokesman for the provincial government, Ajmal Wazir, said the Afghan government officials were not handing over the body of Tahir Dawar to them and insisting on delivering it to his family, tribe or a group to create division in Pakistan.

Muhammad Anis adds from Rawalpindi: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor while condemning the brutal murder of SP Tahir Dawar said that behaviour of Afghan authorities raised questions about the tragic incident. “His abduction, move to Afghanistan, murder and follow up behaviour of Afghan authorities raise questions which indicate involvement or resources more than a terrorist organisation in Afghanistan,” the DG ISPR said in a tweet, adding that murder of SP Tahir in Afghanistan is highly condemnable as Pakistan lost a brave police officer. Major General Asif Ghafoor, however, urged that Afghan security forces should cooperate in border fencing and bilateral border security coordination to deny use of Afghan territory against Pakistan.

“While investigations by Pakistani authorities are in process, we reiterate that Afghan security forces cooperate in border fencing and bilateral border security coordination to deny use of Afghan territory against Pakistan,” he said.

APP adds: Prime Minister Imran Khan said he had ordered the KP government to coordinate with the Islamabad Police in holding an inquiry into the shocking murder of SP Tahir Dawar. He said Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi had been tasked to oversee it with urgency and present the report to him. The prime minister in a tweet said, “Have followed the shocking tragedy of the murder of SP Tahir Khan Dawar & ordered KP govt to coordinate with Islamabad police in holding an inquiry immediately. MOS Interior Shehyar Afridi has been tasked to oversee it with an urgency & present the report to me.”