Seniority basis: Notice issued on plea challenging AIG Hayat's appointment

Political parties have also criticised his appointment due to his role in the 1990s operation.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices on a plea challenging the appointment of the new city police chief, Additional Inspector General of Police Shahid Hayat, on Tuesday.

Justice Faisal Arab, who headed the bench, would take up the matter on October 24 to see their replies for further proceedings. Earlier, five senior police officials - DIG AD Khawaja, AIG Bashir Memon, DIG Sanaullah Abbasi, DIG Azhar Rashid and DIG CID Dr Ameer Ahmed Shaikh - had questioned the appointment of Hayat and taken the chief secretary, the provincial police chief and the AIG to court.



Hayat took over as Karachi city police chief on September 12, almost a week after the law enforcement agencies launched an operation against criminals in the metropolis. Several political parties have criticised his appointment because of his controversial role in the 1990s operation and his involvement in the Murtaza Bhutto murder case.

The petitioners said that Hayat had been working as the DIG police (Special Branch) prior to his transfer, which happened through a notification issued by the chief secretary. The chief secretary ignored senior and more experienced police officers working on grade-20 and grade-21, they claimed.

Their lawyer, Zameer Ghumro, informed the judges that his clients had duly completed all the requisite training courses, including Nipa and Staff College courses, with distinction and were entitled to a promotion to the next grade.

According to the petitioners, the AIG has yet to pass the Staff College course - a mandatory legal requirement for promotion to grade 21 under the service laws. They further contended that Khan was given posting in violation of the rules and various pronouncements of superior courts. This unlawful practice on the part of the chief secretary and the IG has not only violated the statutory procedures, but also disrupted the entire civil service structure, they argued."Under the law, the appointment/transfer/posting of a grade-21 police officer is to be made by the chief executive of the province, but in the present case the chief secretary has exercised the right," he argued.



The court was further requested to suspend the official notification regarding his appointment till the final disposal of the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2013.