PESHAWAR, Feb 8: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday put on notice the NWFP provincial police officer in a writ petition filed by the widow of a police official challenging the withdrawal of Shaheed Package announced by the DIG Mardan.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Shahjehan Khan Yousafzai and Justice Qaim Jan Khan took up for preliminary hearing the writ petition filed by Hukam Jana, widow of an assistant sub-inspector, Jan Bacha, who was killed when the rifle of one of his colleagues triggered off accidentally.

The petitioner stated that her husband was killed on duty at Mandani in Charssada district on January 29, 2005.

Advocate Bashir Khan Tanghi appeared for the petitioner who, he said, belonged to a poor family and the deceased was its sole breadwinner. He argued that Bacha got killed while on duty in uniform.

Mr Tanghi said that Bacha was laid to rest with full official protocol. He said the DIG Mardan range, Dr Suleman, announced Shaheed Package for the deceased’s family.

The counsel said when the case was sent to Provincial Police Officer Riffat Pasha, he declined to allow the said package under which various incentives had to be extended to the family. He said according to the PPO, the deceased ASI did not fit the definition of a martyr.

He argued that since the ASI got killed on duty, he was entitled to the said package.

Sentence commuted: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday commuted the death sentence of a convict.

The court partially accepted a criminal appeal filed by the convict, Jawed, a resident of Kohat.

The convict was charged with killing his rival, Shafiullah Khan, and injuring another person while they were travelling in a bus from Kohat city to Shakardara on September 19, 2002.

Jawed was sentenced to death by the Kohat district and sessions judge. The appellant’s counsel Ijaz Khan Sabai argued that the appellant was falsely implicated in the case.