TAXILA: A police officer in Hassanabdal has made a video where he threatens to shoot himself in protest because he has been denied a promotion for 24 years. The video has since gone viral on social media.

In the 2 minute 39 second video, head constable Mohammad Afzal, who is deployed at the Police Chowki Burhan, which is under the administrative control of the Hassanabdal police station, recites verses from the Holy Quran and then puts forward his demands to Regional Police Officer (RPO) Fakhar Sultan Raja and District Police Officer (DPO) Zahid Nawaz Marwat.

He says he cleared the lower courts’ C-1 departmental exam 24 years ago but has been denied a promotion.

He says he was not given a promotion even though a court order was made to the effect and asks why he was not paid his dues by the pay department despite orders from the DPO.

He threatened to shoot himself if he is treated like Constable Deen Mohammad, who committed suicide at the CIA headquarters in Rawalpindi with an official gun. He says he is aware of the consequences he will have to face after posting the video and that he is ready to face any departmental action.

When asked, DPO Marwat said Constable Afzal joined the police force in 1987 and was twice removed from service.

The first was in the year 2000 when he was involved in an attempted murder case and was dismissed from service when found guilty.

He was also sent on compulsory retirement in 2011 when some criminals had escaped from his custody in the Rango police station. The DPO said Constable Afzal had appealed to the Punjab Service Tribunal and after he was reinstated, the intervening period was declared leave, which is of around nine years.

The DPO said there are no provisions in the rules for granting such a long leave.

Mr Afzal then went to the Supreme Court on April 19, 2016 and the matter became sub judice, the DPO said, adding that the police department is now waiting for SC orders.