Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak said this while addressing a press conference here on Wednesday. Defending the provincial police force, Khattak claimed that the performance of police in KPK is much better as compared to other provinces and performance cannot be gauged on the basis of a few unresolved cases. He added a handful of cases are being flouted and cannot determine the performance of the police force. He said unnecessary criticism reduces the morale of the police force that has performed well in a terror-hit province. The CM said the provincial police has passed through the worst situation and has witnessed several incidents of terrorism, and therefore the police should not be pressurized.
The CM detailed the progress and measures which the provincial government has undertaken to reform the police force. He said that new sophisticated weapons have been provided to the police force. "We have five-star police stations in the province," he added. He said the KP Police fought bravely during the terrorist attack at the agricultural university in Shabqadar, district Charsadda, and they expect that the police should be supported.
He further said the culture of favoritism and nepotism in the police has been eliminated, and all postings are done purely on merit, and the KP government has not influence over them. Now all jobs are provided after passing the NTS, he said adding that competent and educated officers have been inducted in the police force.
He said that KP was the first province to set up a counter-terrorism department. He announced that a forensic laboratory will be set up in the province within a few weeks. He said there was no intelligence department in the province when he took over as chief minister, and a joint team in this regard was formed for intelligence sharing and gathering.