KARACHI: On Sunday afternoon, high- and low-ranking officers made a beeline for the Garden police headquarters for the funeral of yet another policeman killed a night before. This was the third coffin sent to the police headquarters within a week.

Taj Mohammad, 40, an assistant sub-inspector at the Mominabad police station, was targeted on his way back from work at 7.45pm near Rehman Stadium, according to a cousin of his. This is the 24th case in a year for both Mominabad and Pirabad police stations and a third one within a week where a police officer was targeted either going to or coming back from work.

As policemen lined up inside for the funeral rites to begin, Mominabad SHO Shehzad Ilyas said: “Most of the recent cases have occurred in the Mominabad/Pirabad jurisdiction. Those targeting us are not discriminating at all as they are killing ASIs, constables, or whoever they find out is a policeman.”

Falling under the West district, Orangi Town and areas attached to its periphery are besieged by the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, officials said. Just recently an officer was targeted in Manghopir. His body was quickly moved to Attock as soon as the family received it as they feared an attack on the funeral itself.

In case of Taj Mohammad, his supervisor says he was part of the recent raids carried out against the TTP in and around Orangi Town. Originally hailing from Mohmand Agency, Taj gave 25 years of his life to the police department. He leaves behind nine children and a wife.

As his coffin was being wrapped in flags of both police and Pakistan from both ends, his cousin, who did not disclose his name, said: “He had no enemies apart from the ones he made through work. One of his sons will probably get a job in the police ranks and we won’t stop him. That’s what his father wanted for them anyway.”

In every case of targeted killing of a policeman, the family ends up getting Rs2 million and the monthly salary continuing till the time of retirement. The family is also given reassurances that they will be taken care of.

The security in and around the police headquarters was quite heavy and yet there was a sense of uncertainty. A police constable, sitting inside the parking area said: “Police officers have been asked not to wear their uniforms while coming to or going back from work. We are told it will keep us safe. But I don’t think it will work. These people recognise police officers. If not at work, we will be targeted somewhere else.”

Speaking to Dawn, acting inspector general of police Ghulam Haider Jamali said: “So far, 95 policemen have been killed in the line of duty. Most of those attacking the officers belong to the Swat faction of the TTP.”

As the final rites of Taj were being done, and his coffin was taken to his residence in Dir Colony near Banaras Chowk for proper burial, SHO Ilyas said it was a continuing fight.

“A month and a half ago we found two bombs from the Mominabad police station which were later defused by the bomb disposal squad. We are hoping to make more arrests but can’t say more than that at the moment. We have decided not to back off despite not having a lot of resources to fight.”

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2014