Ex-army men’s recruitment into police force opposed

Members of the opposition Awami National Party walked out of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly to protest the recruitment of retired army men in various departments.

“What will the unemployed youth of our province do if vacancies in civil departments are filled by recruiting retired army officials,” ANP parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak told the house.

During question hour, the home department disclosed in the written reply to Babak’s question that the police department in Buner district had employed 15 retired army men, including 11 locals and the rest from other districts.

The ANP leader, who also belongs to Buner, wondered why such recruitment was made when a large number of highlyeducated youth were jobless.

He asked the department why retired army men were employed on a contractual basis and where they would draw salaries from if the finance department didn’t sanction their posts.

“A detailed discussion was held in the house on Tuesday on the performance of the Frontier Works Organisation and this institution is under discussion yet again today,” he said.

Babak said if the house discussed the military institutions on a daily basis, then everyone would talk about them in public places.

Law Minister Sultan Mohamed Khan justified the recruitment of the former military men in the police department saying it has been made in line with the police laws and rules.

He added the police department could hire former army men on contractual basis under ‘special circumstances’. He, however, didn’t elaborate on it.

However, the ANP parliamentary leader rejected the contention and announced a walkout along with party members against the recruitment of exarmy men in civil departments.

The chair asked ministers Shaukat Yousafzai, Akbar Ayub Khan and Hisham Inamullah to persuade the ANP lawmakers to return. The opposition members later returned.

Speaking on a point of order, lawmaker Mahmud Bittani drew the house’s attention to the brutal killing of a five-yearchild in Tank area and said the minor’s body was found after he remained missing for around a week.

He said the incidence of crimes against children was increasing causing unrest among parents.

The MPA demanded the government take steps for the prevention and control of such offences and make laws to hand down exemplary punishment to culprits.

The chair directed the police department to produce a report regarding the child’s killing by next Friday.

He also directed the law minister to accelerate work on the proposed law to award strict punishment to child abusers.