Officials say 122 policemen martyred in the province, 175 injured in six months
Haqnawaz shinwari
PESHAWAR
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Zulfiqar Hameed on Tuesday reviewed the province’s law and order situation during a meeting at the Central Police Office, where senior officers were briefed on police performance over the first six months of the current year.
According to officials, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) conducted 2,004 intelligence-based operations during the period, arresting 504 suspected militants, including 14 described as high-value targets. Police also killed 82 suspected militants in separate encounters.
The meeting was informed that militants carried out 294 attacks on police during the six-month period, of which 161 were successfully repelled. Officials also said that 341 drone attacks were thwarted using anti-drone technology. The province’s first police UAV division, inaugurated in March, was established to counter militant drones and conduct research into the emerging threat.
A total of 122 police officers and personnel lost their lives in the line of duty during the period, while 175 others sustained injuries.
Officials highlighted several major counterterrorism operations carried out by the CTD. In Mardan, one suspected militant was killed and three others were arrested through forensic analysis of cellular data. Police said the suspects were planning an attack on an imambargah in Islamabad.
In Peshawar, two suspected militants allegedly involved in the killing of Police Constable Sanaullah and other attacks on police were killed. Three more suspected militants were killed during an operation in Charsadda, while the leader of a militant group, Commander Noor Islam alias Khog Badshah, who police said was involved in the killing of three policemen in Shangla, was killed along with two associates, including a suspected suicide bomber. In Lower Dir, six suspected militants were killed following an attack on the Badwan Pul police post in which one policeman was martyred.
During CTD operations, police recovered 1,771 kilograms of explosives, 91 hand grenades, two suicide jackets, two RPG launchers, seven RPG shells, eight shotguns, 52 pistols and 45 submachine guns.
The meeting was also briefed on the police campaign against narcotics trafficking. During the period, 9,158.806 kilograms of narcotics were seized and 10,197 cases were registered under the Narcotics Act. Police arrested 10,718 suspects and recovered 7,577.320kg of hashish, 385.618kg of opium, 246.450kg of heroin, 949.418kg of methamphetamine (ice), 1,137 bottles of liquor and 26,523 litres of liquor.
Regarding action against illegal weapons, officials said 21,903 cases were registered and 21,355 suspects arrested. Recoveries included 1,457 rifles, 2,994 shotguns, 25,805 pistols, 1,821 Kalashnikovs, 236 Kalakov rifles, 93 hand grenades, eight Sten guns, 943,047 rounds of ammunition, 5,117 detonators and 1,215 sticks of dynamite, among other weapons.
Police also arrested 10,173 proclaimed offenders and other criminals during the six months, while 103 suspects were killed in police encounters.
Under the National Action Plan, police conducted 2,742 search and strike operations, arresting 10,540 suspects and recovering weapons, ammunition and other prohibited items. During these operations, 39,171 houses and 14,098 hotels were searched, resulting in 1,598 and 73 cases, respectively, over violations.
Police detained 15,003 suspects during snap checking at 39,106 locations across the province. Officials further said that 8,125 Afghan nationals residing illegally were detained and 6,469 cases were registered against them under the Foreigners Act.
The meeting was informed that 643 cases were registered for the illegal use of loudspeakers, leading to the arrest of 817 suspects. Police also inspected 17,234 educational institutions and registered 700 cases over violations, while inspections of 19,416 sensitive installations resulted in 732 cases.
The IGP Complaint Cell received 3,768 complaints during the period, of which 1,928 had been resolved.
Officials also reviewed public service initiatives, including the upgrade of the Police Sahulat Markaz app into the Police Sahulat Markaz Global application and the launch of Street Crime Pulse, which allows citizens to report crimes through mobile phones. The police SOS application has also been upgraded.
The meeting was informed that Dispute Resolution Councils received 2,041 cases. Of these, 1,498 were settled through mutual agreement, 258 were referred to relevant legal forums and 285 remain under hearing.
On police welfare, officials said 8,769 welfare cases were processed. Financial assistance included Rs183.2 million for the medical treatment of 2,938 serving and retired personnel and their families, about Rs70 million for children of officers suffering from thalassaemia, and Rs10.23 million for disabled children.
Police also released Rs63.5 million to the legal heirs of deceased personnel for burial expenses, Rs123.1 million for the education of 4,195 officers and their children, and Rs2.8 million to support overseas education for 14 students under foreign scholarship programmes.
In addition, Rs75.3 million was spent on marriage grants for the daughters of 769 police personnel, while Rs21 million was provided to widows of personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty. Another Rs241,000 was distributed to various units under the Anti-Terrorism Reserve Welfare Fund.
The meeting was also informed that during the six-month period, three inspectors were promoted as DSPs (Legal), while 110 sub-inspectors were promoted as inspectors. Promotions were also approved for officers and staff serving in the police administration.
Speaking on the occasion, IGP Zulfiqar Hameed directed senior officers to maintain close coordination with other law enforcement agencies and intensify action against militants and criminal elements threatening peace in the province. He commended the force for its performance and expressed confidence that it would continue its operations against terrorism and organised crime.
