Pakistan’s police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa face some of the country’s lowest salaries alongside the highest operational risks. Constables earn about 69,000 rupees per month, while deputy superintendents receive 184,867 rupees, compared with 453,727 rupees in Balochistan. The province’s Inspector General has asked the chief minister to declare the region a hard area and provide an extra 2.2 billion rupees yearly to improve conditions. The request follows a deadly attack in Bannu on May 9 that killed fifteen officers. Last year, police accounted for 174 of 437 security personnel killed in terrorist incidents nationwide. Judicial processes lag behind: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s anti-terrorism courts convict in only 17 percent of cases, and more than 2,200 terrorism cases remain pending across Pakistan. The 2021 Peshawar mosque attack, in which 84 worshippers died, still awaits its first hearing after allegations emerged that a constable received payment from militants. Security experts stress that without salary parity and faster trials, recruitment will suffer and operational effectiveness will decline. The report concludes that the state must acknowledge the true cost of service by delivering both financial support and judicial accountability.
