PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) authorities have directed the Aman Lashkar groups to return their arms and night vision goggles to the police, reported a local media outlet on Saturday.
The move apparently brings to an end, the tenure of these groups, established in 2008 to fight militancy in the Peshawar district.
Earlier, these lashkars were asked to give back their armed guards, hired by the police under the Special Police Officers (SPO) programme. These SPOs were deployed with commanders of Lashkers in Adezai, Mashogagar, Masho Khel, Bazid Khel, Suliman Khel and Badhaber, along with police stations in the area.
According to the report, the guards were initially asked back only for Muharram duties, but later it was decided that they would not be returned to them at all. According to the police, since Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was gone now, there was no need of the Lashkars to operate anymore, the report states.
The report further says that the decision is also influenced by the fact that these armed lashkars were now partially using their position to settle scores with personal enemies instead of chasing militants.
Local lashkars were also getting blamed for kidnapping and even murders but after the creation of SPOs, the Aman Lashkars were allowed to operate as they were a constant target of militants in some areas.
The police, according to the report, will now use these arms and SPOs to strengthen itself in these areas.