Punjab Police brace for reshuffle

Change of governments may seal fate of top officers

LAHORE:

Lobbying for postings of choice marred routine activities at Central Police Office (CPO) on Wednesday as Additional Inspector General Fayyaz Ahmad Dev, who was sent packing at midnight, held farewell meetings.

Since the change of the federal government, some key bureaucratic transfers have been made across the country. Among those decisions is the transfer of Dev.

A notification issued by the Punjab chief secretary surfaced at midnight, asked Dev to report to the Establishment Division.

The transfer came days before the election of the chief minister to succeed Usman Buzdar who has resigned.

Some other senior police officers were also shuffled.

The orders include the transfer of Deputy IG Babar Bakht Qureshi.

He had been serving as head of the Anti- Cybercrime Cell of the Federal Investigations Agency (FIA).

The senior police officers across the province have taken the transfers as a precursor to another massive reshuffle in the rank and file of Punjab Police set to ensue after the government change in the province.

Rumours about transfer of other senior offices remained ripe at the CPO, including the IG of Punjab Police, Lahore DIG investigations, three regional police officers (RPOs) and over 20 district police chiefs across the province.

Sources said some senior police officers who were sent out of the province owing to their perceived loyalty with the PML-N might resuming offices at key positions in the new set-up.

Meanwhile, Lahore police Security Branch officials visited and surveyed the residence of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Model Town that had been awarded the status of PM House.

Senior police officers reviewed the security measures to formulate a a plan as per the standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the security of a Prime Minister House.

On the other hand, senior offficers hosted a farewell ceremony in honour of outgoing Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Fayyaz Ahmad Dev on his transfer to the Establishment Division.

The farewell ceremony held at the CCPO office was attended by DIG Investigation Shahzada Sultan, DIG Operations Dr Abid Khan, DIG Security Mehboob Rasheed, CTO Lahore Syed Muntazir Mehdi, SSP Investigation Imran Kishwar, SSP Operations Mustansar Feroze, SSP Admin Atif Nazir, SSP Legal Ghulam Hussain Chohan and other officers.

The DIGs, SSPs and SPs of various police wings said on the occasion that the services of Dev to maintain law and order in the city, eradicate crimes, enforce the law and maintain community engagement would be remembered.

The outgoing additional expressed his gratitude and appreciated the qualities of Lahore police. He said all the officials had extended their full support during his posting.

Fayyaz Ahmad Dev said transfer and posting was part of service and a police officer should always be prepared for it.

On the occasion, the outgoing CCPO also distributed cash awards among police officers for best performance.

Previously, a major reshuffle in Punjab police took place in November last year after for “failing to halt the protest march of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP)”, which left at least seven policemen martyred and scores injured.

It had happened two days after at least 60 police officers deputed on the GT Road in Punjab’s Sadhoki to restrain the protesters had asked Punjab Inspector-General of Police Rao Sardar to order an inquiry to ascertain responsibility for the “flawed security plan”.

The then prime minister Imran Khan and Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar had also expressed annoyance over the “failure” of the Lahore police to prevent the religious party workers from leaving the provincial capital.

Additional IG Fayyaz Ahmed had been appointed the new Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) of Lahore.

According to the official notifications, as many as 12 senior police officers, who had been responsible for chalking out the security plan and halting the protest rally of the TLP, were transferred.

DIG operations Lahore Sohail Chaudhry and DIG investigations Shariq Jamal were among the officers who had been transferred and asked to report to the Services and General Administration Department of the Punjab government.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2022.