LAHORE: The family of martyred senior police officer, Syed Ahmed Mobin, has been living in a residential quarter meant for the station house officer (SHO) of the South Cantonment police, whereas the residence allotted to them two years ago, has been occupied by retired Lahore Capital City Police Officer Chaudhry Shafiq Ahmed Gujjar.

Dawn learned the late police officer’s elderly mother, widow, three daughters and a minor son were living in the two-room quarters which was renovated by the late Mobin when he was DIG.

Though the family is not strange to the house, as they have been living here when the late Mobin joined the police service as the assistant superintendent of police (ASP), an official privy to the information told Dawn.

The family and the department marked the second death anniversary of Shaheed Mobin on Feb 13.

The Cantonment quarters have been allotted to an SSP a couple of months back whereas the family of the deceased police officer has yet to get their residence in Qurban Police Lines, where Mr Gujjar is living sans worries.

According to the laid down policy, a police officer after retirement can occupy official residence for three months, extendable for another three months. Mr Gujjar retired in July 2016 and he shows no sign of leaving the residence.

Then inspector general Mushtaq Sukhera allotted the residence in-question to the family of late Mobin a few weeks after he was killed with his colleague SSP Zahid Mahmood Gondal and over 15 other people in a suicide blast on The Mall on Feb 13, 2017. Amin’s widow Amina Mobin was given a job in the Quban Police Lines, the official said.“We’re waiting to get the keys of the official residence in Qurban Police Lines promised to us by the then authorities a few weeks after my husband embraced martyrdom,” Ms Mobin said. She never reached any higher official to get the issue resolved because “my husband taught us to prefer respect to worldly attractions”.

She needs the Qurban Lines house because her daughters have to cover long distance to go to their Gulberg schools whereas Qurban Police Lines is just minutes from them.

She says she was expecting some development on the second anniversary but it seemed no one cared about the deceased officers’ families.

“The police department has issued a notice to Mr Gujjar to vacate the residence”, Punjab police Assistant Inspector General Development Hassan Iqbal said.

He told Dawn the department would not leave the family of Shaheed alone.Words are never better from actions.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2019