A Year On, Slain SP Tahir Dawar’s Family Awaits Justice
As a year passes the abduction and murder of Superintendent of Police Tahir Khan Dawar, there seems to be no sign of justice for the slain cop.
Not only have the authorities apprehended the culprits, till now, there are absolutely no leads on how a police officer was kidnapped from the federal capital, tortured, taken across the border and murdered.
SP Tahir Dawar went missing on October 26, 2018 from a residential area in Islamabad. The officer was posted in Peshawar and had been abducted following his arrival in the capital.
Initially, the government’s attitude was one of apathy, with one of the prime minister’s aides, Iftikhar Durrani, laughing away a journalist’s question about the missing police officer.
There was silence on the matter until member of National Assembly, Mohsin Dawar, who is among the leaders of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement, raised the matter on the floor of the National Assembly, but he was also met with silence.
Two weeks later, the officer’s badly tortured body was found in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. Two days later, the body was returned to Pakistan so that Tahir Dawar’s last rites could be performed.
A year after Tahir Dawar’s abduction and murder, people are still questioning why the police officer was killed and who murdered him. Till date, there has been no progress on the matter, and authorities have been unable to find out who kidnapped the officer, how he was taken from the federal capital to the Pak-Afghan border. People are still trying to figure out who had so much power to kidnap a serving law enforcement officer and take him to another country.
On Wednesday, #Justice4SPTahirDawar trended on Twitter whereby people called attention to the unsolved case but also deplored the government’s inaction regarding the matter.
MNA Mohsin Dawar took to Twitter to state that one year had passed since Tahir Dawar’s abduction and murder, and his family had gotten false promises. He added that in this matter, the state was not guilty of incompetence but complicity.
The tortured body of Tahir Dawar Shaheed was found on this day in 2018. During this time his family got false promises, while PTM was awarded with #KharQamarMassacre 4 demanding justice for a uniformed martyr. In this matter,the State is not guilty of incompetence but complicity. pic.twitter.com/jsDUwloduI
— Mohsin Dawar (@mjdawar) November 13, 2019
The son of the slain police officer stated that it had been a year and the government had not fulfilled the promises it had made, adding that there had been zero communication from the state on the matter.
A year ago,Tahir dawar dead body was found on this day.Still the promises of govt remain to be https://t.co/Tdv4EEk87E progress Zero willingness Zero communication from State of Pakistan which is tragic nd heartwrenching.Atleast martyred's family shouldnt b treated this way.
— Amjid Tahir Dawar (@AmjidDawar) November 13, 2019
Former senator Farhatullah Babar stated that the reason why SP Tahir Dawar did not get justice even though he was a uniformed officer was because he wore a lesser uniform, he belonged to a lesser force, and the area he belonged to was a lesser tribal area.
SP Tahir Dawar didn’t get justice even though he was a uniformed officer of a law enforcing agency. Why? Perhaps the uniform he wore is a lesser uniform, the force to which he belonged is a lesser force and the area to which he belonged is the lesser tribal area https://t.co/2esogqPrdP
— Farhatullah Babar (@FarhatullahB) November 13, 2019
Academic Nida Kirmani put forth the question that how could an SP be picked up from the capital, abducted, tortured, killed and taken across the border without the state’s knowledge.
By @abbasnasir59 on Tahir Dawar’s abduction & murder. Over a year has passed & we are still awaiting answers. How was an SP picked up from Islamabad, abducted, tortured, killed & taken across the border without the state’s knowledge? #Justice4SPTahirDawar https://t.co/ZT7wcwXfkY
— Nida Kirmani (@nidkirm) November 13, 2019
Another user stated that the way Tahir Dawar’s case had been handled creates certain questions, and if these were not answered would not only create unease among the victim’s family, but also create unrest among the Pashtuns.
حکومت نے طاہر داوڑ صاحب کے سارے معاملے کو جسطرح ڈیل کیا اس سے کئی سوالات نے جنم لیا جن کو اگر تحقیقات کے دوران ترجیح نہ دی گئی تو یہ طاہر صاحب کے اہلِ خانہ بالخصوص اور پختونوں میں بالعموم مذید بے چینی کا سبب بنے گا.#Justice4SPTahirDawarhttps://t.co/cOyhgUi0Mp
— Pukhtun Awakening (@Pukhtun_Awk) November 14, 2019
People lamented government’s inaction in the matter and the fact that they had not made any move to serve justice to Tahir Dawar’s family.
Today is the first death anniversary of Police officer SP Tahir dawar who was abduct from capital Islamabad & later his dead bosy was recovered from Afghanistan but unfortunately there is no move by state to serve justice to his family #Justice4SPTahirDawar
— kochai Lewanai (@kochaiAfghaan) November 13, 2019
SSP طاہر داوڑ کو شہادت ک ایک سال پورا ہوگیا ہے،وزیر اعظم سمیت تمام وزراء نے متعدد بار انصاف کی یقین دہانی کرائی تھی لیکن آج تک نہ تو انکوائری شروع ہوا اور نا ہی اُن کےخاندان والوں کو انصاف مل سکا۔ #Justice4SPTahirDawar
— M Abbas Shaheen⚪ (@Muhamma03460544) November 14, 2019
A user stated that the state’s security measures, surveillance mechanisms, and Riyasat e Madina had failed.
No parliamentary or judicial inquiry into the nerve-shattering murder of SP Tahir Dawar in one whole year. Safe City Project failed. Strict Security & Surveillance Mechanism failed. Border Fencing failed. No.1 & No.7 failed. Riyasat e Madina failed. #Justice4SPTahirDawar
— Khan Zaman Kakar (@khanzamankakar) November 13, 2019
A tweet made by Awami National Party’s official account said that Tahir Dawar was a hero against terrorism and it was shameful that despite promises by the prime minister, the family was yet to know who abducted and killed them.
SP Tahir Dawar was a loyal son of the soil. He fought like a hero against terrorism while serving in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is shameful that despite promises by Tabdeeli Sarkar, The Family is yet to know who abducted and killed him. #Justice4SPTahirDawar
— Awami National Party (@ANPMarkaz) November 13, 2019
A user also demanded that an international investigation commission be set up to probe the murder case of Tahir Dawar.
We want an international investigation commission to open the murder case of SP Tahir Dawar, who were killed one year back. He was abducted from capital of Pakistan and then brutally killed and his body was thrown in Afghanistan. @UN #Justice4SPTahirDawar pic.twitter.com/4v8mnXffNC
— Muzammil khan (@muzammilpanezai) November 13, 2019
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