PESHAWAR: Paying rich tribute to the slain police personnel, speakers at seminar here on Monday stressed the need for forging unity against terrorists to eradicate the menace of terrorism completely and restore sustainable peace in the country.

The seminar titled `Youm-i-Shuhada` was held at Peshawar Press Club as part of the week long events (from July 27 to Aug 4) to pay homage to those police personnel, who were killed in the war against terrorism.

Provincial Minister for Information Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani, Additional IGP Mian Asif, ANP leader Sardar Hussain Babak, JUI-F provincial secretary information Maulana Abdul Jalil Jan, Honorary Consular General of Japan Sahibzada Fazal Karim Afridi, Peshawar High Court Bar Association president Fida Gul, Barrister Hashim Raza, Peshawar Press Club president Syed Bukhar Shah, PML-N leader Haji Afzal, Tehreek-i-Minhajul Quran Peshawar president Robina Moeen and Prof Jamil Ahmed addressed the seminar.

The event was attended largely by family members of the slain police personnel, workers of political parties, law enforcers, members of civil society organisations and journalists.

The police department has declared Aug 4 as Youm-i-Shuhada on which former FC commandant Safwat Ghayyur was killed in a suicide blast on his vehicle in Peshawar.

The speal
They said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police set an example for their colleagues in other provinces by securing others at the cost of their own lives. They said that government should increase the compensation package to properly support the bereaved families.

Speaking on the occasion, the information minister said that police played a frontline role in the war against terrorism. They were still fighting against the menace to protect citizens, he said, adding that the killed police personnel washed all weaknesses of their department and the entire society was backing them.The minister also hinted about the increase in `Shuhada Package` and said that government always resolved the problems of police on priority basis to step up the efforts for restoration of peace.

Addressing the seminar, Mian Asif said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police would observe Safwat Ghayyur Day on August 4 as Youm-iShuhada every year to pay homage to all those policemen, who sacrificed their lives for the country. The main function of the Youm-iShuhadda would be held on Tuesday (today) at police lines. He said that 1,511 police personnel were killed so far.

Speaking on the occasion, Sardar Hussain Babak said that terrorists targeted innocent people including the law enforcers and also destroyed buildings of schools, hospitals, shrines and places of worship.

The terrorists, he said, also killed many journalists and writers to frighten them but they failed to do so. He said that government under its National Action Plan should take decisive steps to eradicate extremism and terrorism.

Referring to suicide attack on Peshawar Press Club, Syed Bukhar Shah said that it was the only press club in the world which was targeted by terrorists but journalists were determined to continue their professional duty.