Sindh proposes three names for provincial police chief

Bilawal takes exception to Centre’s reluctance to transfer Kaleem Imam


Vakeel Rao January 21, 2020
PHOTO: File

KARACHI: The Sindh government has proposed three names to the federal government for the posting of new inspector general of police (IGP), replacing the incumbent police chief Kaleem Imam.

The names of Ghulam Qadir Thebo, Kamran Fazal and Mushtaq Mahar have been proposed in a letter written by the provincial chief secretary to the establishment division.

According to sources, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has also written a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, asking him to direct the establishment division to place the ÔÇ£services of one of the [three] officers namedÔÇØ as the IGP for the province.

ÔÇ£The letter is as per the procedure in vogue, the same manner in which the Governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had earlier written for change of their IGPs,ÔÇØ wrote Shah.

ÔÇ£I request your direction to Establishment Division for placing services of one of the officers named in the letter as Inspector General of Police, Sindh as was done in the case of Punjab and K-P province recently.ÔÇØ

The PPP-led Sindh government and the PTI-led federal government have been caught in a tug-of-war for the last couple of weeks over the removal of IGP Dr Kaleem Imam. The provincial government wanted Imam to be replaced immediately.

PTI, PPP at loggerheads over move to remove Sindh police chief

An earlier letter written by the provincial government to the Centre, said that the provincial cabinet was of the view that the IGP had lost the confidence of the provincial government due to his inability to control crimes and improve the law and order situation in the province.

Adviser to Chief Minister of Sindh on Law and Information Murtaza Wahab said the provincial government did not receive any recommendations from the Centre. He dismissed reports that the federal government had rejected PPP governmentÔÇÖs recommended names.

At a news conference in Dhabeji on Tuesday, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari took exception to the CentreÔÇÖs apparent reluctance to replace the IGP. ÔÇ£IGP(s) of Punjab and other provinces are changed in the blink of an eye,ÔÇØ he said, asking question if there was a separate law for Sindh.

The Sindh governmentÔÇÖs request to replace Imam had been met with an outcry from the opposition leaders, belonging to the PTI and the MQM-Pakistan, who claimed that provincial ministers were defaming Imam and the police department.

PTIÔÇÖs parliamentary leader in Sindh Assembly, Haleem Adil Shaikh questioned the nature of the letters in a video message. He said that the Sindh governmentÔÇÖs move for transfer of the IGP was a political move and a clear violation of rules and regulations.

However, provincial Information Minister Saeed Ghani had said that police officers could not be allowed to tarnish the image of the provincial government. ÔÇ£There are a few black sheep in the police department who are constantly striving to bring a bad name to the sitting Sindh government,ÔÇØ he claimed.

Meanwhile, chairing a meeting at the Central Police Office over the weekend, Imam had appreciated the performance of police officials. He said a 7% decrease in street crime had been recorded, while Karachi had improved its ranking in the international crime index as a result of effective policing.

On the other hand, banners have appeared in Karachi in favour of Dr Kaleem Imam, in which the IGP is praised for his honesty and bravery. Simultaneously, a lawyer has sent notice to the establishment division, saying that the Sindh High Court (SHC) had issued stay order pertaining to Dr Kaleem Imam, therefore, the government should refrain from any illegal act.










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