Humble abode: IG alleged to be residing illegally at CCPO House

Cheema has been dwelling at the address since 2012.

LAHORE:

National Highways and Motorway Police IG Inspector General Zulfiqar Cheema has been occupying the designated residence of the CCPO in GOR I since 2012 The Express Tribune has learnt.

A senior official of the Services and General Administration Department’s (S&GAD’s) Welfare Wing said Cheema had been residing at 17 Danepur Lane for over two years without being allotted the residence or having been posted to Lahore.

In vain the official said the department had penned a letter to the establishment secretary in the final quarter of 2012 to request the official to vacate the residence.

He said Cheema had started living at the address following his posting as the Sheikhupura RPO in 2012. The official said Aslam Tareen, the then CCPO, had to settle for a residence in GOR III when Cheema refused to vacate the residence.

The official said the S&GAD had served notices on Cheema telling him to vacate the house. Cheema has been serving as the National Highways and Motorway Police IG since June 18, 2013, and is scheduled to retire on December 31, 2014.

A senior police official told The Express Tribune that CCPO Amin Wains had requested IGP Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera to look into the matter and help him get possession of the residence. S&GAD Welfare Wing Additional Secretary Khalid Saleem said the house was the designated residence of the CCPO. He said no other official was authorised to use the house. Saleem said the residence had been placed at the then IGP’s disposal on the understanding that he would hand it over to the incumbent CCPO. He said the official should vacate the premises.

Another official said Cheema would be penalised under the S&GAD’s allotment policy. He said he would have to pay 60 per cent of his basic salary for the period of unauthorised possession. He said the IG would have to clear the dues to get his pension.

Speaking to The Express Tribune IG Cheema said he had been allotted the house by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif after he was posted the Sheikhupura RPO as the office was located in Lahore. He rejected the suggestion that he was illegally occupying the residence.

Cheema said some bureaucrats had joined hands to victimise him. He said he would vacate the house the day he retired despite being allowed under law to retain it for an additional six months.

A police official told The Express Tribune that IGP Sukhera had ordered the withdrawal of unauthorised workers, official vehicles and residences from all serving and retired police officials.

He said CCPO Wains had requested Sukhera to look into the matter following the directive.

The official said the IGP had urged CCPO Wains to try and get IG Cheema to vacate the residence.

He said 2,200 drivers, gardeners, cooks, electricians, carpenters, painters, guards, 55 vehicles, 2,500 motorcycles had been withdrawn
from various officials till December 8.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2014.