Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Friday announced changes to the compensation packages for police officers martyred or injured in the line of duty as part of efforts to promote peace in the province.
The provincial government has increased compensation for the families of martyred police officers and amended the previous plot allotment scheme, opting to pay the families cash in lieu of plots.
Under the new scheme, the families of martyred constables, head constables, assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs), sub-inspectors (SIs) and inspectors will receive Rs17 million in compensation, up from Rs11 million.
For the families of martyred deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) and assistant superintendents of police (ASPs), compensation will increase from Rs16 million to Rs25 million.
The families of martyred superintendents of police (SP), senior superintendents of police (SSP), assistant inspector general (AIG) and all grade 18 and 19 officers previously received Rs21m in compensation, but under the new scheme, they will receive Rs30m.
For families of martyred deputy inspector generals (DIG), inspector generals of police (IGP) and grade 20 officers, the compensation would increase from Rs21m to Rs35m.
Regarding compensation for injured police officers, Kundi said an increase should have been made earlier, but it had not been. To address this, he said, the government had made “significant increases” in compensation for officers who had been severely injured or permanently disabled in the line of duty.
Previously, compensation for permanent disability stood at Rs500,000. His government had increased it tenfold to Rs5 million. Compensation for severe injuries had also been increased from Rs100,000 to Rs1.5m.
Kundi added that the families of martyred police officers had previously been allotted plots. However, the scheme had proved inconvenient for some families, as those living in Dera Ismail Khan or Bannu might be allotted plots in Nowshera or Swabi. Under the new scheme, the families would receive financial compensation in lieu of plots.
He stressed that cash payments would give the families the freedom to decide how to use the money, whether to rent a house or buy a plot or a house in a location of their choice.
For the families of martyred constables and head constables, the government will provide Rs18 million in cash in lieu of a five-marla plot. The families of martyred ASIs, SIs and inspectors will receive Rs25m in cash instead of a seven-marla plot.
Kundi further said that the families of DSPs and ASPs, who were previously entitled to a 10-marla plot, would now receive Rs30m in cash. For the families of officers of SP or SSP rank and above, compensation had been set at Rs70m in cash in lieu of a one-kanal plot.
Kundi stressed that not only serving police officers but also their families were at risk. Noting that terrorists could target officers’ families, he said the government had decided to introduce a new compensation package for such incidents.
If a police officer’s spouse or children were killed, the family would receive Rs5m in compensation. If an officer’s parents or siblings were killed, the government would pay Rs3m in compensation.
Kundi also announced a compensation package for police officers who were killed while off duty. The families of constables, head constables, ASIs and inspectors killed while off duty would receive Rs4m. The compensation for the families of DSPs and ASPs killed while off duty had been set at Rs5m. For the families of SPs, SSPs and officers in grades 18 and 19, compensation had been set at Rs7m.
The KP government has also announced Rs1m in compensation to help fund the weddings of martyred officers’ daughters, describing it as “essential financial assistance at an important stage of the families’ lives”, Kundi said.
Children of martyred officers will also benefit from a new fund being established to support their education, including studies abroad, Kundi said.
The governor added that salaries of KP police officers had been increased by more than expected in an effort to make their pay packages more attractive than those offered in other provinces.
He added that he had directed the relevant officials to expedite recruitment to the KP police, which has 17,000 vacancies.
Concluding his remarks, Kundi said: “The days of rifts between the Centre and the province are gone. We now have to work together for the province’s peace and prosperity.”
Kundi had on Tuesday directed the authorities to prepare and submit, at the earliest, a summary containing proposals for an increase in police salaries and an enhanced welfare package for the families of police martyrs.
Chairing a high-level meeting at the Governor House, he reviewed proposals relating to police salaries and welfare measures for the families of martyred and injured police personnel.
On Oct 11, the federal government imposed emergency and governor’s rule in KP, under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, making Kundi the leader of the province.