Daily Times

PESHAWAR: The second ‘Yaum-e-Shuhada’ Police was observed at the Nishtar Hall here to pay respect and homage to the policemen who laid down their lives in the war against militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

Chief Minister Pervez Khattak was the chief guest on the occasion which was also attended by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Nasir Khan Durrani, KP Minister for Finance Muzaffar Said, Awami National Party (ANP) General Secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) leader Hashim Babar and many other distinguished guests.

The event started with the national anthem followed by the recitation of the holy Quran and a guard of honour by policemen and policewomen. Presentations encompassing the biographies of police martyrs were presented on the giant screen of the newly renovated Nishtar Hall. District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Iqbal Marwat who lost his life in a 2nd suicide blast in Bannu on 11 February 2010 was remembered.

A presentation on Sub-Inspector Abid ur Rahman shed light over the fearless police officer’s courage and valour who sacrificed his life in a struggle with a suicide bomber—grabbing his suicide vest— as the bomber forced his entry into a political gathering in Peshawar in 2013.

Parents and elder sister of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shaheed Salman Ayaz expressed their feelings to more than 900 person audience present inside the specious auditorium.

Brigadier (R) Ayaz, father of the late ASP felt proud of his family’s sacrifice. “I am proud to be the father of a son who fought bravely for his motherland and presented the ultimate sacrifice of his life,” he said.

“Due to a family dispute with my brother, we couldn’t visit our son’s grave for nine years. However ex-Deputy Inspector General Saeed Khan Wazir made ways for us to shift his grave to our land. Salman’s body as well as his white coffin were as fresh as if he was laid to rest at that very moment,” he added.

Salman’s elder sister is a lawyer at Peshawar High court. “My brother achieved martyrdom on his first posting and it is an honour to be sister of such a brave man,” she proudly said.

The late ASP’s mother claimed that all family and friends wanted him to join Foreign Office after passing CSS but he chose police. “He couldn’t have got martyrdom in foreign office, could he? I am proud of the sacrifice of my son for his country,” she said.

A number of policemen who had survived the fight against militants were also presented to the audience. They included Head Constable Asif Ali who shot dead a suicide attacker in Mardan on 23 May 2013. Another constable Kamran Ullah got injured in a militants attack on Sarband Police Station on 12th January 2012 in which two of his comrades were killed and many others were injured. Kamran was the last man left to hold the militants from taking over the police station as he killed two militants and injured others before they ran away.

One of the Ghazi policemen at the event was Assistant Sub-Inspector Inayat Ullah who is known in the police circles as ‘Tiger’. Inayat Ullah is known for diffusing improvised explosive devices (IED). After diffusing first device in the year 2000, Inayat has defused more than 4,500 kilograms of explosives in 350 IEDs and some 300 mines so far. He lost one leg and fingers of his left hand while defusing a mine but is still doing his job with an artificial limb. His amputation could not deter him from performing his duties.

Known Pashto singers Mahjabeen Qizalbash, Bakhtiar Khattak, Humayun Khan and a police constable Rafia Qaseem presented Pashto and Urdu patriotic songs. Legendary actor Firdaus Jamal praised KP Police for its bravery and sacrifices in his speech.

A number of traffic wardens, Elite Police Force personnel, female commandoes, officials of Forensic Science Laboratory, Bomb Disposal Squads members and their robot K9 sniffing dogs and officials of Rapid Response Force displayed their skills at the ceremony.