Punjab Police: ‘New chief to face many challenges’

Javed Iqbal is said to have been reluctant initially to accept the job.

LAHORE: Senior government officials, including some police officers have expressed reservations on the Punjab government’s appointment of Javed Iqbal as the new Inspector General of Police (IGP).

Iqbal’s appointment was confirmed on Wednesday through a notification of the Establishment Division. Iqbal, a 3rd common BS-22 officer, belongs to Sindh.

That is also where he has served for most of his years in service. He has served as the Karachi City Capital Police Officer (CCPO) and also as the Azad Kashmir IG.

Sceptics said that Iqbal would have to face a number of challenges on his new job.

“He does not have any significant experience in the Punjab. Not only will Iqbal have to work twice as hard to familiarise himself with issues that are plaguing the province [terrorism, security and policy confusion], he will also face a lot of political interference,” a civil officer opined,requesting anonymity.

Another officer said that he saw ‘multifaceted problems for the new police chief. “He does not know his senior subordinates as well as the former IGP Tariq Saleem Dogar,” he said.

According to the doubters, the new IGP will have to work hard to form a team of senior officers he can trust for timely feedback as well as implementation of his policies.

The officers also think that everyone from DSPs to DIGs will be sceptical since they do not know how Iqbal works. “He has no knowledge about the province’s demography, the ways the criminal gangs operate and the social diversity,” they added.

According to another senior officer Iqbal had initially been reluctant to serve in the province.

“When the Punjab government contacted him, Iqbal expressed his interest in heading the Sindh police since he has only one year of service remaining. His family resides in Karachi. That might have been a factor in this,” the officer told the Tribune. The official also said that Javed Iqbal had come to meet the chief minister a week ago with the intention of excusing himself but had ended up giving his consent.

Some officers said that Iqbal was the second senior police officer without the ‘relevant’ experience to have been appointed by the Punjab government against an important post.

In June 2010, Muhammad Aslam Tareen, a BS-20 officer was appointed as Lahore CCPO. Aslam Tareen belongs to Balochistan and joined the Police Service of Pakistan as an ASP in April 1977.

Before his current assignment Tareen had served as the Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer, Faisalabad City Police Officer and Sehala Police College Deputy Commandant. He had never served in the city.

According to some officers, Tareen lacked a clear idea of the boundaries of neighbouring police stations.

This, they said, prompted directions to all SHOs to install signboards on main roads demarcating the boundaries of police stations. In order to make himself familiar with the nature of crime in the city as well as the major gangs operating in the city. They said he had had to put in extra hours.Senator Pervaiz Rasheed, the spokesperson for the Punjab government, said that Iqbal’s selection had been made “purely on merit”. “We think it is great that we have someone who will serve with obvious impartiality. He has a spotless career,” Rasheed said about Iqbal.

Rasheed added that the reservations would turn out to be baseless just as they had been in Tareen’s case, “who has proven himself a good officer.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2011.