TIMERGARA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief Nasir Khan Durrani on Monday said the law and order situation in Pakistan, especially in its northwestern areas, won’t improve unless situation in Afghanistan was peaceful.

He told reporters here at Sangi Para police post in Maskini Darra area that the provincial police were fully prepared to meet all challenges, especially militancy.

“The Pak-Afghan borders in Lower Dir, Upper Dir and Chitral have been secured. The KP police are our Sher Dil force with its personnel having the capacity and capability to counter terrorism,” he said.

The police chief said the available funds weren’t enough for the provincial police’s welfare and development and therefore, he had formally requested the government for increase in it. He said police were being given modern training to help them adjust to the needs of modern times. “I’ve asked district police officers to participate in the sessions of their respective district councils twice a year and share the police’s performance with their members,” he said.

Mr. Durrani said his visit to the Pak-Afghan border especially checkpoints in Lower Dir was meant to encourage the police personnel deployed there and increase their morale.

He also met elders in Kotkay Bazaar and appreciated local residents for defending Pak-Afghan border.

POST UPGRADATION DEMANDED: The union council secretaries have asked the provincial government to keep its promise to upgrade their posts without delay.

All Secretaries Union Councils Lower Dir Salahuddin Khan told Dawn on Monday that the government had increased the monthly salary of doctors and health allowance of paramedics but ignored the UC secretaries though the latter regularly performed duties in elections and vaccination campaigns.

He said the chief minister should honour his promise of upgrading the UC secretaries posts without delay to their relief.

Mr. Salahuddin said the upgradation of the posts of UC secretaries would cost Rs10.2 million only, an amount not that much for the government to manage.

He said both a UC secretary and a clerk was appointed to BPS-6 but a clerk on completion of service retired as superintendent in BPS-17 entitled to huge pension and other incentives but ironically, a UC secretary retired in the same grade. He said provincial local government minister Inayatullah Khan and finance minister Muzafar Said had repeatedly promised the upgradation of UC secretaries’ posts but the promise had yet to be fulfilled.

“On one hand the government is spending billions of rupees on the salaries and other incentives of elected local government members but on the other it is reluctant to upgrade the posts of few thousands UC secretaries, who are the engine of the local government system,” he said.

Published in Dawn September 13th, 2016