KARACHI, July 4: It has been more than two years since the target killing of Sub-Inspector Haider Baig, but his widow Fatima Baig still awaits clearance of her husband’s dues misappropriated by some staff of the police department.
According to the recently amended police rules, the monthly salary of any slain police officer is supposed to be given to his widow until she remarries.
In case of Haider Baig, the monthly salary which was supposed to be paid to Fatima Baig was siphoned off by the two clerks of the Gulshan Town TPO office since his death.
In the first week of June, DIG Operations suspended the two staff members, sheet clerk Maqbool and accountant Aurengzeb, and ordered them to return the money which was misappropriated by them during the course of two years. However, instead of arranging the amount, the suspended policemen used their connections to ward off the pressure.
The police rather added more to the sufferings of the widow when she was twice summoned by DIG Operations office from Sarai Alamgir, Jehlum, in connection with her case.
“On both occasions, I was told to urgently reach the DIG office the very next day in connection with my case. Consequently, I was compelled to opt for air travel in order to reach Karachi the very next day for my hearing, but nothing came out,” said an official of the DIG office quoting her statement.
Following the death of SI Haider Baig, the Gulshan town police had initially paid some amount to his widow under the head of compensation. But, she did not receive a single penny afterwards, not even the amount under the head of burial and transportation allowance.
The widow of the slain police officer, Fatima Haider, has four children to feed. She had borrowed money to reach Karachi for the hearing of her case twice hoping that on her return she would be able to repay the loan, but nothing came out concrete.
SI Haider Baig was gunned down on June 16, 2004 by armed persons on a motorcycle close to his home in Jauhar Complex at University Road.
The year 2004 had witnessed killings of 26 policemen, including inspectors, sub-inspectors, assistant sub-inspectors, head constables and constables. At least six policemen were killed in carnage at Gulistan-i-Jauhar police station the same year.
“Perhaps this (Haider Baig) is not the only such case; there are several similar cases in which the widows of slain policemen are going through mental and physical agony,” remarked a senior police officer requesting anonymity.
