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Police
on the run in Malakand region
Javed Aziz Khan
PESHAWAR: Almost 75 per cent
desertion has been reported in Buner district police force while
over 40 per cent are staying off the duties in Swat after
deterioration in the law and order in Malakand division, a source
confided to ‘The News’.
Over 30 per cent of the total
strength of Malakand police has either quit jobs or cops are not
reporting to their police stations concerned and offices for the
past several months. Not only the constabulary but senior officers
are also avoiding posting in Malakand for the past two years.
“Almost 310 cops out of the total 400
policemen have reportedly deserted the force in Buner while 820 have
quit jobs in Swat. The Swat police comprise of around 2000
policemen,” a source disclosed.
Besides, those, who are not reporting
to their respective stations despite repeated orders, include over a
100 cops of the Elite Police Force (EPF) and four platoons,
comprising around 136 individuals, of the Frontier Constabulary.
Also, 175 cops have deserted from
amongst the 1,300 strength of Dir Lower and over 70 out of the total
800 policemen of Dir Upper districts.
The EPF had already refused to be
deployed in Swat when they were tasked to improve the law and order
situation there around four months back, saying they would prefer
quitting jobs to posting in “the death zone”. The same was the
stance of the cops of EPF and policemen of different districts of
Frontier when they were directed to report to Buner.
The inspector general of police (IGP)
had recently directed the cops of Buner Police migrating along with
their families to the IDP camps, to report to their respective
police stations and offices. However, the call fell on deaf ear.
Once considered prized posting for
senior police officers of the Frontier, Swat valley has lost
attraction for the cops as majority has made all-out efforts during
the last many months to have their transfer to the volatile district
cancelled. Apart from DPOs, SPs, DSPs and SHOs are using all their
contacts to put pressure on the Frontier police authorities for
transferring them out of the picturesque town. The job is now left
to those who are either junior or have no contacts in the power
corridors.
Only a couple of years back, a
grade-19 officer was serving as DPO in Swat but today the
authorities are yet to find any grade 19 DIG to head the entire
region.
“Twelve officers have been posted as
DPO Swat during the past 21 months, out of which three cops even
refused to assume the charge. The rest served for some weeks before
getting a better posting in other parts of the province and
country,” a source disclosed.
Apart from the DPO of Swat, the posts
of DIG of Malakand, additional SP Swat and SP for FRP were also
occupied by the officers for brief periods, until they succeeded in
getting another lucrative position. The fact is that suicide
attacks, ambushes and rocket barrages have made posting in Swat a
nightmare for every cop
The News : Tuesday, May 26, 2009
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