Darakshan DSP yet to be transferred despite IGP’s statements before SC

He has been accused of tampering with the FIR of Shahzeb Khan’s murder.

KARACHI: DSP Waseem Khawaja, who some people have pointed fingers at for allegedly tampering with the FIR for Shahzeb Khan’s murder, is still serving in the same post within the same jurisdiction, Darakshan, despite IGP Fayyaz Leghari’s statement to the apex court four days ago that he would be transferred.

After the 24-hour deadline the Supreme Court had set for the Sindh police to apprehend the suspects who gunned down Shahzeb, IGP Leghari presented a report on the investigations and said that SHO Malik Saleem, SIO Aslam Khakhrani and duty officer Mohammad Yasin, who were posted at the Darakshan police station, would be suspended. Without giving a reason, he told the court that DSP Waseem Khawaja, who had been posted to the area, would also be transferred.



But officers posted at the Darakshan police station told The Express Tribune that this has yet to happen. “DSP Khawaja is still in the same position. There has been no order for a DSP as yet,” said one of them. Sources privy to the matter alleged that DSP Khawaja tampered with the FIR of Shahzeb’s Khan murder by changing the time and nature of incident, giving time to the culprits by delaying raids. Earlier, Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Nabil Gabol had also claimed that he had called DSP Khawaja when the fight between Shahzeb and Nawab Siraj Talpur had broken out, but he did not respond.

On the record

DSP Khawaja’s profile reveals that he has flitted back and forth between different wings of the provincial excise and taxation department, quickly scaling the career ladder through promotions. He was appointed as a sub-inspector, a grade 11 officer, at the provincial excise and taxation department during PPP’s second tenure in the 1990s. He served under different wings, including motor vehicle registration, property tax and entertainment tax. As he moved from one wing to another, he was also promoted.

When he got bumped up to grade 14, Khawaja became an inspector of the excise and taxation police. He was sent to Karachi police on deputation and served as an SHO of different police stations including  Preedy, Mauripur, Defence and Gizri, despite the fact that only grade 16 officers can serve at this post.

In November 2012, he moved again to the excise and taxation department and was directly promoted from grade 14 to 16. But instead of serving at the post linked to his grade - the assistant excise and taxation officer - he served as excise and taxation officer, which is open to grade 17 officers. After serving at the department for about one-and-a-half month, he again moved to Karachi police on deputation and was posted as the DSP of Darakshan a few days before Shahzeb’s murder.

“What is it about the DSP that is preventing any action against him despite what was said about him in the Supreme Court?” asked a police officer. “There has been no inquiry into DSP Khawaja’s performance in the Shahzeb Khan case and neither has there been any inquiry into his out of turn and illegal promotions.”

Despite several attempts some police and excise and taxation officials were not available for comment. DSP Khawaja refused to give any comments on the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2013.