Seniority basis: Officers challenge AIG Hayat’s appointment, say he is not senior enough

DIG AD Khawaja and DIG Tahir Naveed are next in line for the post of city police chief.

KARACHI: The appointment of the new city police chief, AIG Shahid Hayat, has been challenged by some senior police officials, who claimed he is not senior enough, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The police department has also started considering the names of DIG AD Khwaja and DIG Caption (retd) Tahir Naveed as replacements, according to sources privy to the matter. Some senior officials, such as Naveed, Khawaja, Bashir Memon, Zafar Bukhari, Sain Rakhiyo Mirani, Mushtaq Maher, Sarwar Jamali, Aftab Pathan, Ameer Shaikh, Azhar Rasheed, Kamran Fazal and Sanaullah Abbasi have also refused to salute the new Karachi AIG. “He [Hayat] is junior to us,” a senior officer told The Express Tribune. “We will never salute him at any cost.”



Hayat’s appointment had ruffled the feathers of a group of senior police officers who shared their reservations with the Sindh chief secretart, Chaudhry Ejaz Ahmed. “Hayat is on number 89 on the seniority list,” pointed out another senior officer. “Mirani, Khawaja and Naveed are most senior.”

DIG Naveed insisted, however, that he is a man of principles. “I am ready to do my job wherever the government feels I will work better,” he told The Express Tribune.

How seniority works

According to an official, policemen have to complete their staff college course to get promoted from grade 20 to 21. “Hayat has not taken this course and it will take him the next six years to be eligible for a promotion to grade 21,” he said, adding that police officials can be promoted on the basis of their career record as well. He said Hayat fails to quality in that category as well.

Hayat had joined police force in 1992 as an ASP. He was suspected of being involved in the assassination of Mir Murtaza Bhutto on September 20, 1996. Since then, he has served various different posts, including Thatta SP and DIG for district East and South. On September 13, he was appointed the new chief of Karachi police.

Plan of action

The chief secretary has assured the grieving officials that he will take some action. Mirani, who is next in line, is already serving as AIG for crimes, said an officer. “After him, Khawaja and Naveed are most senior.” Despite attempts to contact him, AIG Hayat was not available for comments. He said he was busy in a meeting. Meanwhile, the chief secretary and Sindh IGP Shahid Nadeem Baloch were also unavailable for comments.



According to an official, a summary on the transfers and postings of more DIGs is also being prepared. DIG Bashir Memon is likely to be transferred and appointed as Establishment DIG, Zafar Bukhari as Sindh Training DIG, Dr Ameer Shaikh as Sindh Reserve Police DIG and Asif Ejaz Shaikh as Crime Investigation Department DIG.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2013.