Muhammad Faheem

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police has sent a draft to the provincial government for the service structure of ex-Levies/Khasadar Force personnel performing security duties for a long time in the adjoining districts. They, after the KP government approves the draft, will be able to earn promotions beyond their ranks.

Inspector General of Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Akhtar Hayat Gandapur said, in a video statement, that he’s going to fulfill the promise he made during darbars in these districts.

Under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Levies Force Act 2019 and the Khasadar Force Act 2019, these officers were absorbed into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, but since then these officers have not been promoted due to the lack of service structure.

According to Akhtar Hayat the approval of Police Rules for Service Structure of ex-Levies and Khasadar Force 2023 by the provincial government, will pave way for their advancement, and their seniority will be considered from the day Levies and Khasadars became part of KP Police.

A province-wide protest was started last year by presenting a 22-point agenda to the government on behalf of All FATA Khasadar and Levies Force; Protests were also held in all tribal districts, including Peshawar, with officials demanding to be made clear if they were still levies and special forces or had become part of the police as they do not enjoy the privileges of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police.

In response to the video statement of Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Gandapur and the draft sent by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, Habibullah, the focal person of All-Fata Khasadar and Levies Force, said that until this draft is seen, nothing will be done about it.

“It will be premature to say, however, in his video statement, the IG Police said that from the day Levies and Khashadars are included, we will be considered as part of the police, in such a case what about our service before that? Along with giving us the service structure, the promise made in the law should be fulfilled, we have joined the police with our previous experience, and our seniority should be assumed from the same day.”

Habibullah said that from their pension to benefits, it will be only a few years now, which is not favorable, until this draft comes out, they cannot claim to accept or reject it.

He said that this matter is not as simple as the Inspector General of Police puts it, “even before this one, many drafts were sent to the Interior Department, but the process could not be completed due to complications,” he argued.

In January 2020, the provincial government merged the levies and Khasadar forces into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police.

The then Cabinet approved the induction of 23 thousand personnel of both forces in the first phase, and out of them, 13 thousand 229 were Khasadars and 9 thousand 976 Levies personnel, while the remaining personnel was integrated in the second phase.

Since the merger till now, all the Levies and special officers who joined the police, and were martyred, have not been given the Shuhada package and the injured have not got the same privileges as the police in the rest of the province.

To bring these officials on par with the police, the provincial government has spent millions to train them and now after many years of completing their training, only three years of their experience will be considered.

Even after three years of the merger of officials, officials posted in tribal districts are reportedly facing difficulties in investigations and lodging of FIRs due to a lack of understanding of the legal process.

Tribal police lack authority and seniority in the area; The police in Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan have no officer above the rank of DSP from within this force.