This year proving more violent for KP police

PESHAWAR: The current year has already surpassed the number of policemen martyred in any year since 2016 as 63 cops have lost lives in target killings and other attacks so far.

Target killings of policemen started increasing in several districts of the province late last year.“As many as 63 policemen have fallen victim to target killings as well as other attacks during the current year,” confirmed an official.

Most of the attacks were carried out in the Dera Ismail Khan region, followed by Bannu, Peshawar and Mardan divisions. As many as 36 policemen fell victim to various attacks in 2017, 30 in 2018, 38 in 2019, 28 in 2020 and 59 in 2021.

Attacks started registering an increase in late 2021. Mostly cops were hit by target killers. Along with paying tributes to the martyrs and taking care of their families on Martyrs Day on August 4, the government and the force need to take concrete measures to protect the lives of the cops as well as the general public in future.

Apart from target killings by the armed attackers, a number of police stations, posts and vans have been attacked with grenades in the last several months. The offices of Superintendent of Police Saddar, as well as DSP Badaber, have come under grenade attacks in recent months.

The latest attack on the force was at Matani in Peshawar in which two constables were martyred and another was wounded, last week. For the KP Police, the years from 2007 to 2014 were the worst when hundreds of senior and junior cops were attacked in the province, particularly Peshawar.

The share of martyrs from Peshawar remained 269 in the last 15 years.Besides, most of the senior officials were attacked in the capital city. The worst year was 2009 when 209 policemen, including one SP, three DSPs and four inspectors were martyred in different terrorist attacks in the province.

According to the KP police record, 27 cops were martyred in different attacks in 2006, 107 in 2007, 172 in 2008, 209 in 2009, 107 in 2010 and 154 in 2011, 106 in 2012, 134 in 2013 and 111 policemen were martyred in 2014.

A total of 1480 cops have lost lives in KP from 2007 till mid-July 2022 in different parts of the province.The fallen heroes during the last 15 years included two additional inspector generals Safwat Ghayur and Ashraf Noor, one DIG Malik Saad, six SSPs/SPs and15 DSPs/acting SPs. Another DIG Abid Ali was martyred in 2006.As many as 32 inspectors, 109 sub-inspectors, 88 ASIs, 155 head constables and 1072 constables also laid down their lives in different attacks since 2007.