CHAKWAL – In a tragic turn of events, a police official upset by non-payment of salary and workplace pressures committed suicide by shooting himself with his official Kalashnikov in Chakwal.
According to a brief suicide note, the ASI said: “I do not have any enmity but tension at workplace is forcing me to take such an extreme step. I do not know how to perform my duty. Please don’t disturb any colleague and my family members. I could not sleep for the last one month. I have not received my salary for the last three months.”
The deceased ASI, a resident of Turkwal village in Gujar Khan tehsil of Rawalpindi district, was transferred to Chakwal a few months ago. He was appointed as in-charge of Police Check Post in Sarkalan, a remote village in tehsil Kallar Kahar which is notorious for providing a safe-haven to proclaimed offenders.
“He did not want to serve at Sarkalan Check Post for two reasons. Firstly, he spent most of his time in Special Branch and did not have any experience of field work and secondly he was reluctant to serve as in-charge of that post which is located in a dangerous area,” a police official told Dawn.
The official added that due to his transfer from Rawalpindi to Chakwal he could not get his salary owing to documentation issues. A close friend of the ASI claimed that he had borrowed ten thousand rupees from a friend a few days ago and sent some money to his home.
“He was also a heart patient,” the official added on condition of anonymity
The deceased police official is survived by four children and a wife.
Soon after the incident sent shock waves across police officials, District Police Officer Sikandar Hayat expressed his deep sorrow over the demise of the ASI and said he had launched a fund to support his family. “His children are like my own children,” he said.
