For numerous years, the entire country, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been celebrating “Youm-e-Shahuda” with great solemnity in acknowledgment of the sacrifices made by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police force and its role in maintaining peace. Every year on this day, official and social gatherings, rallies, and celebrations take place in various regions of the province and country. During these activities, tributes are paid to the police force for their exceptional contribution and sacrifices in maintaining and establishing law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
When the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan was founded in 2007 and began its attacks, it adopted a policy of specifically targeting the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police force, as well as some political parties and political, tribal polytheists, which continues to this day. According to a peculiar estimate, terrorist strikes have targeted approximately 2,600 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police personnel and officials since 2008, including approximately 150 high-ranked officers.
According to a security report for the year 2022, 68 suicide attacks have been carried out on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police in addition to other attacks since 2008, setting a world record, but the police force has not retreated and is still standing, as evident by the fact that two of its men sacrificed their lives yesterday while saving some judges between Tank and DI Khan from a terrorist attack.
According to a recent CTD report, more than 200 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police officers have been killed and injured this year. This demonstrates that despite low resources, the provincial police department served as a frontline force in the fight against terrorism.
According to another report, following hundreds of attacks on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police force in 2008, the force foiled approximately 89 suicide attacks by sacrificing the lives of its courageous men because countless brave young men restrained the suicide bombers and refused to allow them to enter any building or event.
Regardless of whether the general public dislikes police behavior or performance, it is viewed as a symbol of corruption and mismanagement in general transactions and situations. On the other hand, everyone publicly agrees that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police force has played an excellent role in blocking terrorists’ paths over the last 20 years, and it continues to this day.
In 2022, when the directives of the TTP leadership in Afghanistan and the patronage of the group by the Afghan interim government created new security challenges, the police force, like other security forces, faced new challenges. The terrorist groups started targeting the police with modern American weapons and carried out innumerable attacks, but the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police, despite ordinary weapons and limited resources, not only fought with modern weapons but also foiled dozens of major attacks.
In the context of all this, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police must not only be encouraged but practical efforts should be made to increase their efficiency by giving the necessary facilities and privileges to this force.