PESHAWAR: Restructuring of Khasadar, levies force suggested
By Shafiq Ahmad
PESHAWAR, April 6: The Frontier Reserve Police (FRP) submitted a summary with Governor Iftikhar Hussain Shah for the restructuring of levies and Khasadar forces in the Federally- Administrated Tribal Areas (Fata).
Official sources told Dawn here that the FRP had proposed to the government to carry out restructuring of levies and Khasadar security forces before holding the local bodies elections and implementing the final phase of power devolution plan in Fata.
The sources said that a few days ago, a team of senior FRP officials called on the governor and handed over the details of the proposals for 963 new posts for superintendents, re-shaping and training of the levies and Khasadar forces.
The FRP also proposed three training courses spanning over three months each to train 500 levies and Khasadars at the three Frontier Constabulary centres in Manzai, Hangu and Swat.
In case of fresh recruitments, the FRP high-ups suggested that the duration of the course should be six months to be conducted at the Frontier Constabulary lines in Shabqadar.
According to the summery, proposals had also been submitted with regard to revising the existing pay-scale of the levies/Khasadars in accordance with the Frontier Constabulary rules.
Subedar-Major in levies and Khasadar forces was working under the BPS-7, while an official on the same position in the Frontier Constabulary was getting the benefits of BPS-16. Whereas, the pay scale of havaldar, naik, lance naik and sepoys in levies and Khasadar force was BPS 1 as compared with that of the Frontier Constabulary officials of the same rank, who served in pay scales 6, 5, 2 and 1, respectively.
The FRP had also demanded Rs4,410 million of the government for recurring and non-recurring expenditures of the existing 22,527 levies/Khasadars and 963 new posts of command and training staff.
The mode of induction of officers proposed would require the concurrence of army authorities and Cabinet Secretariat Estab-lish-ment Division. Moreover, training at the Federal Police Academy would be required to enable the inducted army officers to work as senior superintendent of police in district, the sources maintained.
They said that the induction of army officer to the Frontier Corps and then to police service of Pakistan with training at Federal Police Academy and appropriate field experience would take at least four years till they take up their duties as officer in law enforcement agency in Fata.
The current duties of levies and Khasadar forces include protection to roads, government buildings and vital installation, arrest and detention of outlaws, escort, anti-smuggling and poppy eradication.
In addition to the superintendence of the duties, it was suggested that the agency and Khasadar officer should also be responsible for management of investigation, prosecution, traffic management, process of summon/warrants and coordination with agency courts, coordination officers and Nazims.
