JAMRUD: Police personnel deployed on duty for security of polio vaccination teams in Khyber tribal district have not received remuneration for the last eight campaigns which has created concerns among the security teams.
Local policemen said the police personnel of other districts are receiving remuneration for vaccination campaigns on time, but the personnel of Khyber tribal district have been kept deprived for unknown reasons, which is discriminatory and unjust. A police personnel from Jamrud sub-division told TNN on condition of anonymity that the money for police personnel has been dispatched to the relevant authorities, but it is not being paid to policemen for unknown reasons. He said the policemen have not received any positive information from the office of the district police officer (DPO) about their remuneration.
The district police chief was contacted three months ago over the issue who then had said that a committee will be formed over the issue. However, three months after that statement, the police personnel of Khyber are still deprived of remuneration. The policemen involved in vaccination campaigns have called upon Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General Police (IGP) Sanaullah Abbasi and Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Peshawar to take action over this issue and ensure payment of remuneration to policemen without further delay.
Social circles of the area have also expressed concern over non-payment to policemen. They said policemen risk their lives to provide security to polio vaccination teams during their door to door campaigns, but in return they get nothing. They said polio workers and other people associated with vaccination campaigns often stage protests for remuneration. They said this habit of delayed payment to polio workers and other people associated with the campaigns must come to an end.
On November 24, the suspended Levies and Khassadar personnel in Bara announced to boycott the polio vaccination campaigns.
Addressing a press conference, representative of sacked Levies and Khassadar personnel Arbab Khan Afridi along with other colleagues said the government had committed their economic murder and they children are starving since they were suspended from jobs. They said a total of 250 suspended Khassadar and Levies personnel have not been restored yet. He said although their 750 other colleagues have been restored, but 250 former personnel are not being restored due to unknown reasons.
Arbab Khan Afridi alleged that the suspended Khassadar and Levies personnel are being subjected to discriminatory attitude.