Police, Levies and Khasadar personnel in merged districts announce boycott of polio campaign duties

MOHMAND: Personnel of the Levies and Khasadar forces in the merged tribal districts have announced a boycott of an upcoming polio vaccination campaign set to begin on September 21, citing what they described as the government and police department’s failure to fulfil commitments regarding their service-related demands. An official of the Mohmand police told Dawn that the announcement was made during a protest sit-in at the historic Bab-i-Khyber, where the chairman of the Levies and Khasadar forces’ committee, Syed Jalal, said the boycott would continue until their demands were accepted and their longstanding issues resolved. According to the police official, the committee had also decided to impose what it described as a fine of Rs25 million on any Levies or Khasadar personnel who participated in polio duties during the campaign.

He said the decision had been taken by representatives of the protesting forces attending the sit-in. The protesting personnel have also stopped registering first information reports (FIRs) and making entries in daily police diaries at police stations in the merged districts as part of their protest, according to police sources. The development has raised concerns about arrangements for the upcoming polio campaign in the merged districts, including Mohmand, where the three-day drive is scheduled to begin on September 21. Last month, Khyber police also threatened to boycott their duties over similar concerns, but police officials later performed their duties as per routine. A police officer said former Levies and Khasadar personnel had yet to receive a clearly defined service structure. He claimed that their service was being counted from 2019 following the merger of esrtwhile Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which he said had caused concerns…