PESHAWAR: The cold-blooded murder of a senior officer of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police, SP Tahir Khan Dawar, was condemned on Thursday by people belonging to different political parties, business community and civil society organisations. They demanded of the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the incident to investigate as to how the SP was kidnapped and taken to Afghanistan.

A large number of people, including traders and political activists, also offered funeral in absentia of the slain police officer at Chowk Yadgar, Peshawar, and expressed sympathies with the family of the martyred officer. It was arranged by Pasban Pakistan, a civil society organisation.

Awami National Party president Asfandyar Wali Khan in a statement here condemned the murder of Tahir Dawar and warned that his party would not remain silent on such a callous incident. He said that it was duty of the state to unveil the elements who had allowed the kidnappers to shift the police officer from Islamabad to Nangarhar in Afghanistan, where he was found murdered.

Asfandyar says ANP will not remain silent on the incident

The ANP chief said that it was ironic that suo motu notices were taken on the transfer of district police officer, Pakpatan, and Islamabad IGP, but the Pakhtun nation was given quite a different message by ignoring the case of Tahir Dawar.

“During this critical situation the chief justice is going to United Kingdom for dams’ fund. The Supreme Court so far has not taken any action about our martyrs,” he said and added that Prime Minister Imran Khan, who also holds the portfolio of federal interior minister, had adopted silence in this connection.

The ANP chief said that those who had issued decree against the chief justice and chief of the army staff were safe, but the officials who had fought terrorism bravely were kidnapped and killed. He said that the government should explain as to where it was taking the state.

The people, he said, were mourning the tragic incidents of kidnapping and murder of the relatives, but the government had adopted silence over the national action plan.

“We have always rendered sacrifices for restoration of peace and equal status in the country, but even then would-be suicide bombers are behind us,” he lamented and added that discriminatory attitude with Pakhtuns was unbearable.

Meanwhile, ANP parliamentary leader in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Sardar Hussain Babak, submitted an adjournment motion to the assembly secretariat to seek explanation from the government about kidnapping of a serving police officer from Islamabad and his murder in Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2018