KP boosts compensation for martyred police officers

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Friday announced a revised welfare package for police officers martyred or injured in the line of duty, increasing financial assistance for their families and introducing new benefits for their children.

Under the revised scheme, the compensation for families of martyred police personnel has been increased across different ranks. Families of constables, head constables, assistant sub-inspectors, sub-inspectors and inspectors will now receive Rs17 million, compared with the previous Rs11 million.

The compensation for families of martyred deputy superintendents of police and assistant superintendents of police has been raised from Rs16 million to Rs25 million. Families of superintendents of police, senior superintendents of police, assistant inspectors general and officers in grades 18 and 19 will receive Rs30 million, up from Rs21 million.

For families of deputy inspectors general, inspectors general and grade-20 officers, the compensation has been increased from Rs21 million to Rs35 million.

Kundi said the government had also significantly increased financial assistance for police personnel who sustain serious injuries or permanent disabilities while performing their duties. Compensation for permanent disability has been raised from Rs500,000 to Rs5 million, while assistance for severe injuries has increased from Rs100,000 to Rs1.5 million.

The revised package also replaces the previous plot-allocation system for families of martyred officers with cash payments. Kundi said the earlier arrangement had created difficulties for some families because residential plots were sometimes allotted in cities far from their homes.

Under the new system, families will have greater freedom to use the money according to their needs, whether to purchase property, buy a house or arrange accommodation in their preferred location.

Families of martyred constables and head constables will receive Rs18 million in place of a five-marla plot. Those of martyred ASIs, sub-inspectors and inspectors will receive Rs25 million instead of a seven-marla plot.

The families of DSPs and ASPs will receive Rs30 million in place of a 10-marla plot. For families of SPs, SSPs and higher-ranking officers, the government has set compensation at Rs70 million instead of a one-kanal plot.

The package also covers attacks on police officers’ immediate and extended families. If an officer’s spouse or children are killed, the government will provide Rs5 million in compensation. In cases involving the deaths of an officer’s parents or siblings, the compensation will be Rs3 million.

Additional financial assistance has been announced for families of police personnel killed while off duty. Families of constables, head constables, ASIs and inspectors will receive Rs4 million. The amount has been set at Rs5 million for families of DSPs and ASPs, while families of SPs, SSPs and officers in grades 18 and 19 will receive Rs7 million.

The government has also allocated Rs1 million to support the marriage expenses of daughters of martyred police officers. Kundi described the assistance as an effort to ease the financial burden on families during important life events.

A new education fund will also be established to support the children of martyred personnel, including opportunities to pursue higher education abroad.

Kundi said salaries for KP police personnel had been increased to make their compensation more competitive with that offered in other provinces. He also directed the relevant authorities to speed up recruitment to address approximately 17,000 vacancies in the provincial police force.

Emphasising the need for cooperation between the federal and provincial governments, the governor said political differences should not obstruct efforts to improve security and promote development in KP. He stressed that joint efforts were necessary to strengthen peace and support the welfare of police personnel and their families.