Postings and transfers: Major reshuffling in Sindh Police
Senior officers believe the transfers will affect the ongoing operation in Karachi.
With Hayat asked to step down, traffic AIG Ghulam Qadir Thebo (pictured) has replaced him through another government notification ordering his transfer.
KARACHI:
In a major reshuffling in the Sindh Police on Thursday, four Additional Inspector Generals (AIGs), including Karachi police chief Shahid Hayat, and six Deputy Inspector Generals (DIGs) were removed from their posts.
The Sindh government issued the notification with immediate effect, following the May 9 Supreme Court orders to revert all officials on own-pay scale (OPS) back to their original posts. With Hayat asked to step down, traffic AIG Ghulam Qadir Thebo has replaced him through another government notification ordering his transfer.
Apart from Hayat, Crime Branch AIG Sain Rakhio Mirbahar, Crime Investigation Department AIG Capt (retd) Tahir Naveed, and Research, Development and Inspection AIG Bashir Ahmed Memon have also been removed from their posts. These officers were in basic pay scale (BPS) 20 but were deployed at posts for those in grade 21.
Moreover, Special Branch, Sukkur, DIG Muzaffar Ali Shaikh, Larkana DIG Khadim Hussain Rind, Karachi Administration DIG Abdullah Shaikh, Technical and Transport DIG Asif Aijaz Shaikh, Traffic Licensing and Training DIG Ahmed Yar Chohan and Sukkur DIG Sharjeel Kharal also faced the brunt as they were on grade BPS-19 but working on higher posts.
Karachi’s West zone DIG Javed Odho has been transferred as Sukkur DIG, while and Rapid Response Force DIG Dr Aftab Ahmed Pathan has been given the post of Larkana DIG. The government has also given various postings to eight superintendents (SPs) and 70 deputy superintendents (DSPs).
“These inspectors have been promoted to the ranks of DSP and were waiting for their postings,” explained the home secretary, Niaz Ali Abbasi. “We have issued orders to appoint them in various districts.”
Reshuffling and the Karachi operation
Hayat was appointed as the AIG for Karachi last year on September 13, when the city’s law and order situation had worsened and showed no signs of improvement. Hayat was working as the Special Branch DIG at that time. The Sindh government had carried out similar reshuffling in the police department and appointed Hayat as the city police chief a few days after the targeted operation against criminals in the city was launched.
Hayat had joined police force in 1992 as an ASP. He was among the suspects in Mir Murtaza Bhutto’s assassination on September 20, 1996. He has served as Thatta SP and DIG for district East and South. He also headed the investigations of the Shahzeb Khan murder and the white Corolla cases that occurred in DHA. Hayat’s appointment as Karachi AIG ruffled some feathers in the department as he had bypassed some seniors to get the post.
Meanwhile, Ghulam Qadir Thebo, who was the city police chief before Hayat, received his early education from Cadet College, Petaro, and joined the police department in 1985 as an ASP. He served as SSP of Thar, Badin and Shikarpur, as Gwadar DIG, Sindh Prisons IG, Karachi city and Traffic police AIG.
Senior officers in the police department are of the view that the present reshuffling will disturb the ongoing targeted operation in Karachi that is entering its third and most important phase. “”This will definitely affect the operation because the continuity and policy will be disturbed,” said former Sindh IG Mushtaq Shah. “The government should have thought about it when they were deploying people on high ranks than their own.”
Shah said that the government has to obey the orders of the Supreme Court but the problem could be avoided if these appointments were made correctly in the first place. Shah was, however, hopeful that Thebo will handle the situation well and will be able to stand with the Rangers who are jointly conducting the operation with the police. “Thebo is a senior officer and has an experience of the city.”
The home secretary insisted, however, that the third phase of the ongoing operation will continue and the reshuffling in the police will not make any dents on it. “The transfers and postings have nothing to do with the operation,” said Abbasi. The police and Rangers are devising a strategy for the third phase, which will begin soon.
Musical chairs: Reshuffle in civil bureaucracy
In compliance with the Supreme Court orders, the Sindh government removed on Thursday 22 bureaucrats who were working on senior positions on own pay scale (OPS).
According to the officials, more than 900 officers have been appointed on OPS in various departments and the removal of all such appointments is in the process. These officials include anti-corruption chairperson Mukhtiar Soomro, who will report to the services, general administration and coordination department and Alamuddin Bullo who has been posted as principle secretary to the chief minister.
Other officers include Iqbal Ahsan Zaidi and Shamsuddin Soomro of the revenue board, education department’s special secretary Muhammad Usman Chahar, governor’s secretary Muhammad Akhtar Ghauri, local government special secretary Muhammad Iqbal Memon and others.
Sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune that more than four dozen junior officers are appointed at senior posts only in the education department and the same situation prevails in the health, local government, irrigation, revenue, agriculture and other departments. A majority of these officers have been appointed on political grounds, he said.
Senior Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said that all OPS officers will be sent packing. “We have provided a list of these employees to the chief secretary’s office, from where the notifications of their removal will be issued soon,” he said, ruling out reports that these officers were appointed on political grounds.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 23rd, 2014.
In a major reshuffling in the Sindh Police on Thursday, four Additional Inspector Generals (AIGs), including Karachi police chief Shahid Hayat, and six Deputy Inspector Generals (DIGs) were removed from their posts.
The Sindh government issued the notification with immediate effect, following the May 9 Supreme Court orders to revert all officials on own-pay scale (OPS) back to their original posts. With Hayat asked to step down, traffic AIG Ghulam Qadir Thebo has replaced him through another government notification ordering his transfer.
Apart from Hayat, Crime Branch AIG Sain Rakhio Mirbahar, Crime Investigation Department AIG Capt (retd) Tahir Naveed, and Research, Development and Inspection AIG Bashir Ahmed Memon have also been removed from their posts. These officers were in basic pay scale (BPS) 20 but were deployed at posts for those in grade 21.
Moreover, Special Branch, Sukkur, DIG Muzaffar Ali Shaikh, Larkana DIG Khadim Hussain Rind, Karachi Administration DIG Abdullah Shaikh, Technical and Transport DIG Asif Aijaz Shaikh, Traffic Licensing and Training DIG Ahmed Yar Chohan and Sukkur DIG Sharjeel Kharal also faced the brunt as they were on grade BPS-19 but working on higher posts.
Karachi’s West zone DIG Javed Odho has been transferred as Sukkur DIG, while and Rapid Response Force DIG Dr Aftab Ahmed Pathan has been given the post of Larkana DIG. The government has also given various postings to eight superintendents (SPs) and 70 deputy superintendents (DSPs).
“These inspectors have been promoted to the ranks of DSP and were waiting for their postings,” explained the home secretary, Niaz Ali Abbasi. “We have issued orders to appoint them in various districts.”
Reshuffling and the Karachi operation
Hayat was appointed as the AIG for Karachi last year on September 13, when the city’s law and order situation had worsened and showed no signs of improvement. Hayat was working as the Special Branch DIG at that time. The Sindh government had carried out similar reshuffling in the police department and appointed Hayat as the city police chief a few days after the targeted operation against criminals in the city was launched.
Hayat had joined police force in 1992 as an ASP. He was among the suspects in Mir Murtaza Bhutto’s assassination on September 20, 1996. He has served as Thatta SP and DIG for district East and South. He also headed the investigations of the Shahzeb Khan murder and the white Corolla cases that occurred in DHA. Hayat’s appointment as Karachi AIG ruffled some feathers in the department as he had bypassed some seniors to get the post.
Meanwhile, Ghulam Qadir Thebo, who was the city police chief before Hayat, received his early education from Cadet College, Petaro, and joined the police department in 1985 as an ASP. He served as SSP of Thar, Badin and Shikarpur, as Gwadar DIG, Sindh Prisons IG, Karachi city and Traffic police AIG.
Senior officers in the police department are of the view that the present reshuffling will disturb the ongoing targeted operation in Karachi that is entering its third and most important phase. “”This will definitely affect the operation because the continuity and policy will be disturbed,” said former Sindh IG Mushtaq Shah. “The government should have thought about it when they were deploying people on high ranks than their own.”
Shah said that the government has to obey the orders of the Supreme Court but the problem could be avoided if these appointments were made correctly in the first place. Shah was, however, hopeful that Thebo will handle the situation well and will be able to stand with the Rangers who are jointly conducting the operation with the police. “Thebo is a senior officer and has an experience of the city.”
The home secretary insisted, however, that the third phase of the ongoing operation will continue and the reshuffling in the police will not make any dents on it. “The transfers and postings have nothing to do with the operation,” said Abbasi. The police and Rangers are devising a strategy for the third phase, which will begin soon.
Musical chairs: Reshuffle in civil bureaucracy
In compliance with the Supreme Court orders, the Sindh government removed on Thursday 22 bureaucrats who were working on senior positions on own pay scale (OPS).
According to the officials, more than 900 officers have been appointed on OPS in various departments and the removal of all such appointments is in the process. These officials include anti-corruption chairperson Mukhtiar Soomro, who will report to the services, general administration and coordination department and Alamuddin Bullo who has been posted as principle secretary to the chief minister.
Other officers include Iqbal Ahsan Zaidi and Shamsuddin Soomro of the revenue board, education department’s special secretary Muhammad Usman Chahar, governor’s secretary Muhammad Akhtar Ghauri, local government special secretary Muhammad Iqbal Memon and others.
Sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune that more than four dozen junior officers are appointed at senior posts only in the education department and the same situation prevails in the health, local government, irrigation, revenue, agriculture and other departments. A majority of these officers have been appointed on political grounds, he said.
Senior Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said that all OPS officers will be sent packing. “We have provided a list of these employees to the chief secretary’s office, from where the notifications of their removal will be issued soon,” he said, ruling out reports that these officers were appointed on political grounds.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 23rd, 2014.