Time to change: Sindh to get new IG after only 2 months

Govt has reportedly written a letter to federal govt, saying they don’t need Iqbal Mehmood’s services.

KARACHI: After only two months into the job, the Sindh government wants a new police chief for the province and has reportedly sent Iqbal Mehmood packing.

Even though the federal government has yet to issue a notification for Mehmood’s removal, sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune that the provincial government has sent a letter to the Centre. “The services of Iqbal Mehmood are no more required in the province,” the letter stated.

According to official sources, the government is contemplating on reappointing its favourite police officer, Fayyaz Leghari, for third-time on this position. Leghari had earlier surrendered this slot twice on Supreme Court orders.

Sources said, however, that AIG Ghulam Haider Jamali will be given the Sindh IG post temporarily before Leghari takes charge as the permanent police chief.

According to police sources, Mehmood will be the seventh police IG in Sindh who is going to be transferred in the last three years. The Express Tribune tried to contact Mehmood for his comments but he was unavailable for comments. Not only staff at the IG office, but officials in the services and general administration and coordination department that deals with issues relating to government officers had also no idea about this recent development. Information minister Sharjeel Memon was reluctant to give his comments while provincial home secretary Niaz Ali Abbasi said he was unaware of the development.

Some officials did say that a close friend of former president Asif Ali Zardari, who was earlier working in the police department, is behind this development. Mehmood, who previously served as Crime Investigation Department AIG before taking over this slot, may be asked to report to the establishment division in Islamabad before he is given any other responsibility.

Down memory lane

Mehmood had replaced Shahid Nadeem Baloch as acting Sindh IG in February this year before he rejoined the police department permanently in April. On the other hand, Baloch had replaced Fayyaz Leghari in March 2013. Leghari had been serving since July 10, 2012, when he was reappointed to the post.

Leghari had to resign from his job on the directives of the Supreme Court following the blast in Abbas Town in which over 50 people lost their lives.  The government had earlier removed him in June 2011 in compliance with an order issued by the Supreme Court after the ‘extra-judicial’ killing of Sarfaraz Shah by a Rangers man.

Wajid Durrani, who was serving as police chief of Islamabad, was given this slot after Leghari’s removal. Durrani only served four months in this office and was replaced by Syed Mushtaq Shah, an officer of the Police Service of Pakistan of grade 21, on October 22, 2011.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2014.