Chaudhry Aslam Khan


Chaudhary Aslam Khan was a Pakistani police officer known for his tough actions against criminals. In 2014 he was assassinated in Karachi by the Taliban.
Aslam joined the Sindh Police force in 1987 as SHO and served in several police stations across Karachi and in Balochistan due to provincial allocation. Chaudhry Aslam gained fame after working as an encounter specialist from 1992-1994 and 1996-1997. Chaudhry was suspended and came back to service in 2004 and was given the task of eradicating target killers. Later he was ordered to lead the LTF and end the gangwar in Lyari Town. From 2005-2014 Chaudhry Aslam arrested terrorists, gangwar-criminals, target killers and extortionists belonging to TTP, BLA, MQM, ANP, TMP, LJ, LeT and SSP. On 9 January 2014, he was killed in a bomb blast carried out by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. In 2017 Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian national arrested in Balochistan on the allegations of spying and terrorism, confessed in a video released by DG ISPR that the assassination of Aslam was sponsored by Indian intelligence agency Research Analysis Wing on the directions of Anil Dhasmana. The validity of the video, however, has been criticised, with the Indian side claiming it to be doctored and forced upon Jadhav.

Personal info

He belonged to and was born in Dhodial, Mansehra District, Hazara Division and moved to Karachi along with his father after completing his primary education.

Career

In 2010, Aslam was appointed as head of the Investigation Wing in the Criminal Investigation Department.
Aslam won himself a reputation for his performance in the 2012 'Lyari grand operation' which once again aimed at clearing the area of criminals.

2011 attack by Taliban

In 2011, he escaped unhurt from a Taliban attack on his house situated in the Defence Phase VIII area of Karachi. The attack resulted in the death of eight people. TTP claimed responsibility for the attack as retaliation for ongoing efforts against them, including the arrest and killing of many of the organisation's fighters. At that time, a defiant Aslam, whose home was half blown away by the blast, said he knew he was the target but it would not deter him from fighting against extremists.

Death

On 9 January 2014, he died along with two other officers, his guard and driver, when a bomb targeted his convoy on the Lyari expressway in Karachi. The Mohmand Agency chapter of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack. Sajjad Mohmand, a spokesman for the militant group, said Aslam was targeted for carrying out operations against the TTP. "Aslam was involved in killing Taliban prisoners in CID cells in Karachi and was on the top of our hit-list," he said.

Reaction to death

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif praised SP CID Chaudhry Aslam and the other officers killed as martyrs, and said that such attacks will not deter the law enforcement agencies in their fight against terrorism. Inter Services Public Relations issued a statement of the army chief General Raheel Sharif, acknowledging the contributions of police and other Law Enforcement Agencies in the fight against terror, and paying tribute to Chaudhry Aslam for laying down his life in the line of duty. MQM chief Altaf Hussain also condemned the killing of SSP Chaudhry Aslam and his two colleagues. "SSP Chaudhry Aslam was active in fighting against terrorists who are carrying out subversive activities in Pakistan. He conducted operations against terrorists and criminal elements bravely", Altaf Hussain said.

Biopic

In 2019 it was announced that an action movie based on his life will be released, Chaudhry - The Martyr, directed by Azeem Sajjad. Chaudhry's role will be played by his cousin Chaudhry Tariq Islam, who hails from the same villages, is a DSP himself, and worked with Khan for over thirty years; the director acknowledged he had cast him because he's "well versed with body language, gestures, attitude and reflexes."