PESHAWAR
Children of police martyrs from Mardan, Bannu, and Kohat districts on Monday appealed to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur and Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Khan to address long-standing delays in employment under the police martyrs’ quota.
Speaking at a press conference, the children of fallen officers urged the provincial leadership to take immediate action on the pending recruitment list for the years 1998 to 2008.
They said their fathers laid down their lives fighting terrorism, yet their families now face financial hardship and are being denied their rightful place in the police force under the PSI (Police Sub-Inspector) recruitment quota.
“We have completed our education and are eligible on merit, but despite repeated requests, we remain unemployed,” said Muhammad Salman, son of Constable Asghar Khan Shaheed, who was martyred in an encounter with terrorists in Kohat.
“We’ve raised this issue many times, including during the Chief Minister’s visit to Mardan, but no concrete steps have been taken.”
The group emphasized that while martyrs are honored with official statements and ceremonies at the time of their sacrifice, their families are forgotten soon after.
Among those present were Owais Shah (son of Rahim Shah Shaheed), Anas Khan (son of Ramdad Khan Shaheed), Bilal Ahmed (son of Gul Malook Khan Shaheed), Abdul Samad (son of Abdul Rashid Khan Shaheed), and Sajjad Jan (son of Bismillah Jan Khan Shaheed), who echoed similar concerns and frustrations.
“We have even approached our area MNAs and MPAs, but they told us the matter is with the IG and the Chief Minister and beyond their control,” Salman added.
They warned that if no serious attention is paid to their demands, families of martyrs on the waiting list will stage a sit-in protest in front of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and march towards the police lines.
“We are not asking for charity,” the children said. “We are asking for our legal and moral right. Our age is advancing, and we fear that one day we’ll be told we’re overage and ineligible.”
The families demanded that either recruitment be made against previously announced one-time vacancies or that heirs of martyrs be accommodated on a priority basis through fast-track promotion. They stressed that vacant posts under the quota must be filled immediately to prevent further despair and injustice.
