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Raees Ahmad Khan (1945-85) was a Police Officer in the Punjab Police of Pakistan. He was martyred in a Police encounter in Faizpur, Shahdara, district Shakhupura of Pakistan Punjab, on 17 December 1985.

Raees Ahmad Khan was born to a lower middle class family of Sherwani pathans in a small town of Shahbad Markanda, now in district Kurukshetra, in the Indian State of Haryana. A Pathan general, Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Ghauri, founded the town after the Battle of Tarain (Taraori) in 1192 and encouraged Sherwani Pathans’ settlement. Historically it was a Muslim majority town. After the Partition in 1947, the Sherwani Pathans left the town.

Raees Ahmad Khan’s father, Shaadi Khan, was an agriculturalist and sopey in the British Police. In 1947, the family first migrated to Lahore and then to Mailsi, district Vehari in Pakistani Punjab. . Khan completed early education in Mailsi and then went to Gujranwala and did Bachelor of Arts from the University of Punjab, Lahore. In 1966, he was selected as an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) in Punjab Police. He was also selected as Second Lieutenant in Pakistan Army. However, on the advice of his Sufi master, he opted for Police Service. Shaadi Khan was keen to train his son as a good officer. He requested his superiors to transfer his son under Iqbal Khan, who was then considered most honest, brave and excellent investigation thanedar. It was a tough period for Raees Khan, several times he decided to leave his job but on the insistence of his father, he could not do so. There were also financial compulsions, the family was allotted half the property than they owned in Shahbad.

In 1974, Raees Ahmad Khan married to his cousin, Afifa Khanum, the daughter of Idrees Ahmad Khan (b. 1919-1984) who retired in 1983 as Secretary of Local Bodies in Balochistan.

In 1982, Raees Ahmad Khan was promoted as Deputy Superintend of Police (DSP) and posted in Chiniot, district Jhang. . In 1984, he was transferred to Lahore as DSP, Civil Lines. After sometimes, he was posted as DSP New Anarkali Circle, Lahore. On 17 December 1985, Police received an information about a criminal, Noori, who was involved in various cases of murder and decoities. Noori operated in the region of Shakhupura, Gujranwala and Lahore. POLICE of three districts rushed to the scene under the command of DSP Ikramullah Khan Niazi, who was then DSP Crime Investigation Agency (CIA), Lahore. Raees Ahmad Khan and SHO of Anarkali Police Station, Muhammad Idrees were also asked to join the raid. After exchange of firing of many hours, Raees Ahmad Khan, Ikramullah Khan Niazi and Muhammad Idrees martyred. By then it was the heaviest loss of Lahore POLICE in peace times. The President of Pakistan awarded Quaid-i-Azam Police Medal (QPM) to all three officers for their services to the Nation.

In 1986, a new criminal character, Noori, was introduced in the Punjabi Films. The character was inspired from the decoit killed in the Police encounter. A Punjabi film, Sher Dil was also made on the events of this encounter. Sultan Rahi, Mustafa Qureshi, Shahida Mini, Adeeb, Bahar were the main actors in the movie.

References 1.Abbas Khan Sherwani, Sherwani Nama (Aligrah: Aligarh Printing Press, 1953) 2.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahabad_Markand 3.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mailsi 4.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiniot 5.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ1Z0Iv8UK0