News Desk |
The Superintendent of Police (SP) Rural Peshawar, Tahir Khan Dawar, who went missing from Islamabad last month, has been reportedly killed in Afghanistan. SP Dawar was kidnapped from G-10/4 sector of Islamabad on Oct 26.
On Tuesday, a picture allegedly of SP Dawar went viral on social media in which he could be seen brutally murdered; the body said to be of the officer was found in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.
Inspector General (IG) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Salahuddin Mehsud said that it was not possible to confirm the authenticity of SP Dawar’s death news at present.
The police authorities and federal government, however, on Tuesday denied the reports of his murder in Afghanistan. State Minister for Interior Sheheryar Afridi refused to comment over the veracity of social media reports, as he said it was a sensitive matter.
“It is a matter of national security and someone’s life, and cannot be discussed on an open forum,” Afridi said. Referring to the alleged pictures of SP Dawar, Mr. Afridi commented, “Doctored pictures and fake reports are being spread these days.”
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The picture shared on social media shows a man dressed in a pair of black trousers and a maroon shirt with a piece of paper on his chest. The face and arms of the man, all covered in blood, reveal that the person had been tortured to death.
The piece of paper on his chest, referring to SP Dawar with his first name, reads,” cop who had arrested and killed many militants has met his fate.” The note is written in Pashto language and carries the name of ‘Wilayat Khorasan’; a term militant organization Daesh which calls itself Islamic State (IS) uses for the Pak-Afghan region. The note also threatens to do the same to other people if they are not cautious enough.
This has led to confusion and speculations among media outlets as they disseminate different news related to the same incident, regardless of the pain and suffering of the family of the police officer.
Inspector General (IG) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Salahuddin Mehsud said that it was not possible to confirm the authenticity of SP Dawar’s death news at present. He said they were in contact with the Afghan government and all relevant institutions and were investigating the incident thoroughly.
Brother of SP Dawar, Ahmaeduddin, told the reporters that victim was posted in Peshawar, and was in Islamabad for personal engagements. He went out on Oct 26, his family lost contact with the police officer as his phone went off at around 7: 45 pm. His wife right away reached out to the police and informed them of his disappearance as family suspected he was kidnapped.
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Mr. Dawar belonged to North Waziristan and was recently posted as Rural SP in Peshawar. Before that, he had served as DSP Fakirabad. He also served in Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and was posted at the Peshawar International Airport. Tahir Dawar, known as a vocal police officer, had survived two suicide attacks while he was posted in Bannu when militancy was at its peak.
Social media users and some analysts apparently are sure that the picture is true and that he has been tortured to death in Afghanistan while concerned authorities refuse to confirm or deny the news. This has led to confusion and speculations among media outlets as they disseminate different news related to the same incident, regardless of the pain and suffering of the family of the police officer.
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Media should play a professional role and instead of quoting ‘sources’ wait for the concerned officials’ statement regarding the incident as it directly impacts the already grief-stricken family of the officer.