PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police on Thursday observed the Martyrs` Day (Youmi-Shuhada) to commemorate the sacrifices of their officials during the war against terrorism.

The day is observed on Aug 4 every year in the memory of top provincial cop and Frontier Constabulary commandant Safwat Ghayyur, who was known for his bravery and was killed in a suicide blast near his office in 2010.

The police ofhcers and personnel attended special services for the fallen policemen throughout the province with senior officials visiting their graves and laying wreaths there in an act of homage to them.

In Peshawar, AIG (PoliceHeadquarters) Mian Mohammad Asif, city police chief Mubarak Zeb and SSP (operations) Abbas Majeed Marwat inspected the guard of honour presented to Safwat Ghayyur at the Akka Baba graveyard in Pishtakhara area.

The largest ceremony of the day took place at Nishtar Hall, where Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, provincial police chief Nasir Khan Durrani and senior police and civilian officials, and notables were in attendance.

Addressing participants, Mr.

Durrani said 1,278 policemen were killed and 2,475 suffered injuries in the province since 2002.

He said the provincial police had shown remarkable courage by foiling 1,035 incidents of terrorism during the period despite being under-equipped and underresourced.

The police chief said the threat of terrorism had eased due to the provincial police`s strenuous efforts and Pakistan Army`s successful Zarb-i-Azb operation in Fata.

He however said long and unmanned border withAfghanistan made the policing difficult in the province.

Mr. Durrani said terrorist attacks and fragile security situation in Afghanistan had a direct bearing on peace in KP.

`This situation necessitates a professional and democratically controlled policing approach to make the police more vibrant and responsive to the emerging challenges,` he said.

The police chief said the recently-promulgated Police Ordinance had set new principles of authority in tandem with accountability.

He said the new law had freed the police from bureaucratic control and placed them under the democratic oversight through public institutions.

`The police will now be a politically neutral and operationally independent force,` he said.

In Timergara, the Martyrs` Day function was held at the police lines, where family members of the fallen policemen and civilians, police officials, civil society activists and elders were in attendance.The people from different walks of life laid wreaths at the `Yadgar-iShuhada` and paid tribute to them.

A smart contingent of the police saluted the cops, who died in the line of duty.

Schoolchildren sang patriotic songs, recited poems, delivered speeches and presented tableaus to honour the fallen policemen from the district.

NGO Shakil Shaheed Development Organisation, Malik Saad Memorial Trust and Lower Dir police distributed cash among students and family members of the fallen policemen.

In Kohat, MPA Ziaullah Bangash announced the construction of the edifice in the memory of fallen policemen.

The announcement was made during a Martyrs Day ceremony held here, where district nazim Maulana Niaz Mohammad, tehsil nazim Malik Taimoor Khan, district police officer Mohammad Sohalb Ashraf, social and political activists and heirs of 68 policemen, who were 1(illed by terrorists in the recent past.The speakers paid tribute to the policemen for rendering life for the people`s security.

In Chitral, too, the Martyrs Day was observed.

A function was held in the police lines, where district nazim Maghfirat Shah and district police officer Asif Iqbal Momand placed wreaths on the Yadgar-i-Shuhada and took salute of a police contingent.

The speakers said the district had owed its peace to the sacrifices of police officers and personnel.

In Swabi, the main Martyrs Day function was attended by provincial police chief Nasir Khan Durrani.

Mr. Durrani and other speakers paid tribute to the fallen policemen, saying their sacrifices led to the restoration of peace in the province.

In Abbottabad, special prayers were offered for the police officials, who laid down life fighting terrorism, at the police lines mosque.

The Martyrs Day was also marked in Charsadda, Malakand, Buner, Shangla and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.