LAHORE: Like other parts of the country, the Police Martyrs Day 2020 was observed in the provincial capital on Tuesday to pay homage to over 7,000 fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives for the security and stability of the country. In this respect, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar along with Punjab IGP Shoaib Dastgir and other senior police officers visited the Yadgar-e-Shuhada in Lahore and laid floral wreaths and offered Fateha.
Several ceremonies were also organised by the senior officers at their offices and police lines to commemorate the sacrifices of the heroes for the country. According to Pakistan Forum for Democratic Policing (PFDP), a total of 7,069 police officials embraced martyrdom in the country with 1,530 in Punjab, 2,300 in Sindh, 1,745 in KPK, 42 in Gilgit Baltistan, 49 in ICT and 925 in Balochistan besides others.
Speaking to the media, the chief minister paid tributes to the martyrs saying that "their sacrifices will always be remembered in our hearts and the Punjab government is committed to resolving all the problems of the families of martyrs."
Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Zulfiqar Hameed while addressing a ceremony at Police Lines Qilla Gujjar Singh disclosed that 315 'sons' of Lahore police were martyred while maintaining safety and security of the citizens.
"Due to the sacrifices of martyred cops, we are breathing in the atmosphere with peace. It is our duty to pay honour to the sacrifices of martyrs and we will continue to pay their dues," he said, adding that in Lahore alone a total 208 constables, 30 head constables, 28 ASIs, one traffic warden, 35 sub-inspectors, six inspectors, four DSPs, one SP, one SSP and one DIG were martyred in the line of duty.
He expressed that "the martyrs are still alive in their hearts and their services are a beacon for the police. They (martyrs) are the most precious asset of any nation in a country." "We have a strong bond with the families of the officers and the personnel, who sacrificed their lives," he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020