LAHORE:
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Major (retired) Mubasharullah who retired on May 12 continues to serve as the Police College Lahore commandant, apparently with the inspector general’s permission.
In government documents, the additional charge has been assigned to the deputy commandant but in practice Mubasharullah still exercises all the powers.
New inductees and junior officials are imparted basic in-service and mandatory promotion trainings at the college. Currently, more than 3,000 policemen are enrolled at the college’s two campuses – Chuhng and Manawan. As commandant, Mubasharullah heads a staff of around 1,000 people.
Mubasharullah retired on attaining the age of superannuation. However, he continues not only to hold the office of the commandant but is also conducting departmental inquiries against police officials.
He was posted as principal of the Police Training School (PTS) in Chuhng 12 years ago when he was a BS-18 officer. When he was promoted as a senior superintendent in BS-19 seven years ago, the post of PTS principal was upgraded. In 2010, he was promoted as DIG and the post was once again upgraded to accommodate the incumbent. In March this year, the school was renamed as the Police College Lahore.
Mubasharullah said that he was continuing to discharge duties as the commandant on the instructions of Inspector General of Punjab Police Haji Habibur Rehman. “I have been hired as a consultant at the college following my retirement and a notification to that effect was issued,” he said. He said that the chief minister had approved the summary for hiring him as consultant. A senior official of the police, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the summary moved by IG Rehman violated the Planning and Development Board guidelines. The post should be advertised in newspapers but the procedure was not adopted, he added.
A Planning and Development Board official said that a consultant could not enjoy the protocol given to a government officer. He said hiring retired employees on contract was also a violation of Supreme Court orders following which the Punjab government had terminated contractual appointments of more than a dozen senior officials in February 2011.
Nabeela Ghazanfar, the Police Department public relations director, said that the IG had approved Mubasharullah’s appointment. She declined further comment.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 27th, 2012.
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