Nasir Durrani

Nasir Durrani was a Pakistani police officer who served as the Inspector General of Police of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 2013 to 2017 and of Punjab from 2018 to 2018. He was also the chairman of the Punjab Police Reform Commission in 2018. He was widely regarded as an honest, professional, and reformist police officer in the country. He was born in Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on 17 March 1957. He belonged to the Durrani tribe. He joined the Police Service of Pakistan in 1982 and served in various positions and ranks in Balochistan, Sindh, and Punjab. He became an encounter specialist and was involved in many operations against terrorists, criminals, and militants. He was suspended and reinstated several times due to his controversial methods and allegations of extra-judicial killings. He was appointed as the Inspector General of Police of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2013 by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. He introduced many reforms and innovations in the police force, such as establishing police assistance lines, police access service, specialized schools, special combat unit, counter-terrorism department, and technology-based investigation. He also implemented strict accountability and merit-based recruitment and promotion in the police. He earned fame and respect for his actions against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other extremist groups. He received many awards and honors for his bravery and service, such as the Pakistan Police Medal, the Quaid-e-Azam Police Medal, the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, and the Herald's Person of the Year. He also received tributes from various national and international figures, such as the president and prime minister of Pakistan, Bill Gates, and Malala Yousafzai. He retired from the police service in 2017 and was appointed as the chairman of the Punjab Police Reform Commission in 2018 by the PTI government. He was tasked with improving the police standards and performance in Punjab, the largest province of Pakistan. He resigned from the post in 2018 due to health issues. He contracted COVID-19 in 2021 and was admitted to the Mayo Hospital in Lahore, where he remained in a coma for several days. He died on 19 April 2021, at the age of 64. He was buried in Lahore and mourned by the whole nation. He is regarded as one of the most influential and respected police officers in the history of Pakistan.