Punjab Police jolted by massive reshuffle

Transferred officers were mostly appointed by previous govt

LAHORE:

Last week saw a massive reshuffle within the Punjab Police, as the inspector general (IG), Punjab CTD police chief, a CCPO, two RPOs, two CPOs, six DPOs, over 10 DIGs and dozens of SP and DSP rank officers were transferred.

The majority of officers removed from key posts had been appointed during the previous government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders held reservations against their alleged mistreatment, particularly during the party’s long march towards Islamabad.

Faisal Shahkar, a grade 22 officer, took charge as Inspector General of Punjab Police (IGP) on July 25, after Rao Sardar Ali Khan reportedly requested former Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz for the transfer, due to the possibility of backlash from Pervaiz Elahi as Chief Minister. Elahi and PTI leadership openly had accused him of overstepping his role and misusing authority.

On the night of July 26, Pervaiz Elahi was sworn in as Chief Minister, with his first orders as CM being the transfers of CCPO Bilal Siddique Kamyana, DG Anti-Corruption DIG Rana Abdul Jabbar and DPO Jhang Sardar Ghias Gul Khan.

Kamyana was CCPO during the PTI’s long march and multiple FIRs were registered against PTI leadership during his tenure, alongside crackdowns and raids against the party.

Meanwhile, under Jabbar as DG Anti-Corruption, cases and inquiries were launched against former CM Usman Buzdar, an aide to former PM Imran Khan’s wife and former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed.

On July 28, senior officers including Central Police Officer (CPO) Gujranwala, DPO Attock, DPO Okara, DPO Mianwala, an SP and 10 DSPs were transferred. This was on the second day of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s term as Chief Minister.

Ijaz Ahmad is considered to be close to the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) due to his family background, with close family members even contesting elections on a PML-N ticket. CPO Gujranwala is a key post when it comes to political scenarios, as it is considered to be a PML-N stronghold. Senior PML-N leaders including Khuram Dastaghir hail from the city.

AIG Discipline Muhammad Naveed was transferred and posted as DPO Mianwali, while Rizwan Gondal from DPO Mianwali was transferred to the Central Police Office (CPO). Gondal came under the PTI spotlight after a conflict with the Maneka family over stopping a vehicle while serving as DPO Pakpattan. DPO Okara Hassan Iqbal was also transferred to CPO. Reportedly, he while serving as DPO Sialkot had stopped PTI leadership from holding a public gathering on a piece of minority community land.

Additionally, one SP and seven DSPs were transferred from Faisalabad, the hometown of federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan. Within the week, almost all of Faisalabad police command was transferred. On Thursday, one SP and seven DSPs were transferred, while on Sunday, the RPO and CPO Faisalabad were also transferred. DIG Procurement Punjab Moin Masood was posted as RPO Faisalabad in place of Babar Sarfaraz and SSP Omar Saed Malik was appointed CPO Faisalabad in place of Ali Nasir Rizvi. On July 29, Ghulam Mehmood Dogar was re-appointed CCPO Lahore. SP Ahsan Saif Ullah was appointed as Staff officer to Chief Minister.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7^th, 2022.