PESHAWAR: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Zulfiqar Hameed, chaired a high-level meeting at the Central Police Office to review the province’s law and order situation and the comprehensive performance report for the first three months of the current year.
The report highlights a period of intense operations against “Fitna-al-Khawarij,” with the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) conducting 1,087 intelligence-based operations. These actions resulted in the arrest of 283 terrorists, including three high-level commanders and a female suicide bomber, while 108 suspects were killed in encounters. Despite facing 194 terrorist attacks, the police successfully repelled 106 of them, including 63 direct assaults on stations and posts, through advanced fortification and modern technology.
The human cost of maintaining peace remained significant, as 59 police officers sacrificed their lives and 88 personnel were injured on the front lines during the last quarter. On the operational front, the CTD recovered a massive cache of weaponry and explosives, including over 1,700 kg of gunpowder, 55 hand grenades, 24 SMGs, and a suicide jacket. Additionally, the police intensified their crackdown on narcotics, registering 7,771 FIRs and arresting 7,751 individuals. Recoveries included 5,695 kg of hashish, 275 kg of opium, 210 kg of heroin, 847 kg of ice, and over 22,000 litres of alcohol. During encounters related to these crimes, 5,528 drug pushers were arrested, and 66 were killed.
The province also saw a surge in administrative and public service achievements, notably the inauguration of the Rs 2.23 billion Safe City project in Peshawar, featuring 711 modern surveillance cameras. Police facilitation centres provided over 110,000 services, ranging from visa and tenancy verifications to lost property reports, with plans to expand these centres to the tehsil level. Under the National Action Plan, more than 6,684 search operations and 22,028 snap-checking instances led to the arrest of over 64,000 suspects. Furthermore, the department demonstrated its commitment to internal welfare by disposing of 2,037 cases and distributing Rs 132 million in welfare cheques. IGP Zulfiqar Hameed reaffirmed that anti-national elements would be dealt with an iron hand and that the security of public life and property remains the force’s absolute priority.
