Massive reshuffles jolt Punjab police dept in 2020

Six AIGs were transferred in first reshuffle in April

LAHORE:

Punjab Police went through a massive reshuffle during 2020 as hundreds of policemen from the rank of Inspector General of Police to constable rank were transferred or surrendered before the Establishment Division.

A few of the notable transfers included former IGP Shoib Dastaghir, former CCPO BA Nasir, former CCPO Zulfiqar Hameed, DIG Shehzada Sultan, SSP Liaqat Malik, SSP Zeeshan Asghar, SP Asim Iftikhar, SP Anoush Masood Chaudhry.

The first major reshuffle in 2020 was made on April 14. At least six additional inspector generals (add IGs), two Regional Police Officers (RPOs), 13 deputy inspector generals (DIGs) and two senior superintendents of police (SSPs) were transferred and posted. The reshuffle in April was the third one by then IGP Shoib Dasaghir mainly to bring his team across Punjab. Before April, he had made major reshuffles in November and December.

The second major reshuffle of the year in Punjab Police was made in July this year as at least 12 officers were reshuffled inside Punjab. The officers included DPOs also. Few days earlier these transfers, CPO Gujranwala Gohar Mushtaq Bhutta was transferred and DIG Rai Babar Saed was posted as CPO Guajranwala.

A month back these transfers, Ashfaq Ahmad Khan was posted as DIG Operations Lahore after DIG Rai Babar Saed was transferred from the post. On the day, DIG Investigations Lahore Inam Waheed was also transferred. Few days before this, SSP Operations Muhammad Naveed was also transferred to Central Police Office and Faisal Shahzad was replaced as SSP Operations Lahore.

This was the fourth major reshuffle by Shoib Dastaghir since his taking charge in November last year.

The third major reshuffle in the command of Punjab Police was made on September 2. On the day at least 28 senior police officers including Capital City Police Officer Lahore (CCPO) Zulfiqar Hameed, seven other DIGs and many DPOs were transferred and posted.

Within few days of these transfers, then IGP Shoib Dastaghir was also replaced with Inam Ghani after his controversy with CCPO Umer Shoib Sheikh.

The fourth major reshuffle of the year was made on October 5, 6 and 7 when at least 36 police officers were transferred inside the province. On the other hand, at least nine officers from Punjab were surrendered before the Establishment Division while six DIGs were sent to Punjab from the Establishment Division.

A few days earlier, two former CCPOs additional IG BA Nasir and DIG Zulfiqar Hameed were also surrendered before the establishment division.

The fifth major reshuffle in the officers’ cadre of Punjab Police occurred in October this year. In the last week of October, at least 152 police officers from the rank of additional IG (grade 21) to DSP/ASP (grade 17) were transferred.

The sixth major reshuffle in top command of Punjab Police was made on December 4 as at least seven DIG rank officers (Grade 20) including DIG Investigations Lahore, RPO Sheikhupura and RPO Gujranwala were transferred. Within few days of these high level transfers dozens of DSPs, SP and SSP ranks officers were also transferred.

During the month, the transfer, posting of senior police officers did not stop.

During last few weeks, many more officers for example SP Anoush Masood Chaudhry, SP Bilal Qayyum and others.

SP Anoush was reportedly surrendered before establishment division for embezzlement charges as well replying inappropriately his senior officer on his letter of advice.

SP Bilal Qayyum was reportedly transferred over embezzlement charges. Two more SPs of Lahore including SP Dost Muhammad have also been transferred over corruption charges during past few days.

The round up included only the transfer and posting of officers cadre (grade 17 and above) of Punjab Police. If the transfer and posting of the officers below than grade 16 is also considered, the numbers of those transferred and posted during the year would go up to thousands.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2021.