Holding accountable: SHOs to face inquiries after Eid holidays

Over 50 of them posted across various stations in Karachi to be probed for corruption

KARACHI:

The chiefs of over 50 police stations in the city should brace for inquiries into corruption charges that have been made against them.

Action against these SHOs in all three police zones in the city is expected to start immediately after Eidul Fitr holidays. “The police department is already under criticism for having corrupt, criminals and politicised police officials,” a senior police officer told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity. “Now the time has come to clean the department of such ‘black sheep’.”

In the first phase, three former SHOs - Ismail Lashari, Ishaq Lashari and Shaikh Shoaib - have been dismissed from service following criminal records against them. Apart from them, nine other SHOs have been removed from their posts. These include three inspectors - Naveed Nasir, who was posted at SITE A-Section police station as an SHO, Muhammad Haroon Korai, who was posted at Steel Town police station as an SHO, and Mazhar Iqbal Awan, who was posted to Rizvia police station as an SHO.

Meanwhile, six sub-inspectors - Sohrab Goth SHO Fasihuz Zaman, Bin Qasim SHO Azhar Iqbal, Quaidabad SHO Amanullah, Napier SHO Azam Khan, Kharadar SHO Rana Khushi Muhammad and Pakistan Bazaar SHO Abdul Moeed - have been removed from their posts.

According to a copy of the notification issued by former Karachi police chief Ghulam Qadir Thebo, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, these police officers who were posted as SHOs in Karachi Ranger have been shifted to the Police Headquarters. These SHOs should not be posted as SHOs, Station Investigation Officers (SIOs) and Sergeants or any other field postings in the future, the notification further stated.

This action follows an internal inquiry conducted by the Sindh police department, which has identified more than 50 SHOs involved in cases of crime. The report prepared by the then DIG of the Sindh Police’s Rapid Response Force (RRF), Dr Aftab Ahmed Pathan, declared 55 police station chiefs as unfit for the post because of their patchy service record.

The inquiry, which was conducted on the directives of the Sindh IG, revealed that 24 of the corrupt SHOs are currently posted in Zone East of Karachi, followed by 11 in Zone South and 20 in Zone West and Central

The report also accused these SHOs of having links with political parties and members of Lyari-based gangs. They have also been accused of sheltering criminals affiliated with political parties and being involved in crimes, such as target killings, extortion, robberies and land grabbing.

Ismail Lashari, the former SHO of Sohrab Goth police station, has been punished at least 16 times for his criminal activities. He has been discharged from service, demoted, suspended and even faced forfeiture of approved service for five years.

Not far behind is Ishaq Lashari, who has been punished 11 times by senior officials. The report is, however, vague on what crimes he was involved in. Then there is Rana Haseeb, the SHO of Site Police Station. The inquiry report suspects someone has tampered with his official records as three pages of the service book are missing.

While the third SHO who has been dismissed, Shaikh Shoaib, was also dismissed from service due to absence in 1999. He was also discharge from service in 1994 and has faced forfeiture of approved service for one year.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2015.