PESHAWAR, May 25: Top bosses of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police fear the recent transfer of eight senior officers of their department to Balochistan will negatively impact on counterterrorism operations in their province, which is the worst hit by violence in the country and faces acute shortage of senior police officers.

Of late, DIG Dera Ismail Khan Qazi Jamilur Rehman, DIG Kohat Imtiaz Shah, DIG Bannu Nisar Tanoli, DIG (investigation) Malakand division Feroz Shah, PMU director general Jaffar Khan, DIG CPO Sadiq Kamal and SSPs Tahir Ayub and Ijaz Khan were transferred to Balochistan. Most of them have already relinquished the charge.

One of the said officers told Dawn requesting anonymity that the law and order situation in the province could easily be judged by terror incidents occurred over the last few months.

“The situation in the province is not different from that of Balochistan and it’ll be difficult to counter terrorism with the remaining junior officials holding key police positions,” he said.

Referring to the Bannu jailbreak and the killing of senior police officers in suicide attacks in different parts of the province, including Peshawar, the officer said the federal government itself should realise the sensitivity of the situation and avoid transferring senior officers for peace in the province.

He, however, hastened to add that senior police officers were ready for transfer and face difficult situations in line of duty, but their transfer could a serious blow to anti-terrorism efforts.

Another official of the investigation department said the terrorists’ acts, which took place in Peshawar only, were any eye-opener for the federal government. He said alone in the provincial capital, militants attacked at least 12 different places showing that they were still active and could cause problems for the provincial government.

He said the situation in rural areas of the province were more serious as none of the officials were ready to go for night patrolling due to attacks by militants.

A senior police officer in the province said 31 police grade-18-20 positions had been lying vacant in the province for the last few years with junior officers holding the charge of these positions provisionally.

“The police system is run through junior officers and after the transfer of the said officers, things will worsen,” he said. The officer said most senior police officers came from Punjab but they often refused to serve in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to the delicate security situation.

He said in Balochistan, there was only 20 per cent police controlled area, while the rest of 80 per cent was controlled through armed forces, but on the other side, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was 100 per cent controlled by police but still the officers were transferred.

“All that is beyond comprehension,” he said.

Referring to the recent acts of terrorism, especially attacks on police and checkpoints, and target killings in the province, the officer said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was in dire need of senior police officers but the centre was not bothered about helping the province on it.

He said the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were in extremely dangerous situation, especially after the Bannu jailbreak, and therefore, the government should not take further risks.

The officer said compared to Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was more exposed to terrorists and that it had already suffered a lot from terrorism.

“If the officers’ transfer is not cancelled, the province may be at a high risk of terrorism,” he said.

The officer said the provincial government was in contact with the federal government over the shortage of senior police officers and there was a likelihood of the eight high-profile transfers being cancelled.

Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain couldn’t be contacted despite repeated attempts.