Federal Cabinet meeting likely to mull over IG Sindh issue today

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Cabinet will meet today with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the chair.

Among the issues likely to be discussed in today's session is the matter of appointing a new Inspector-General of Police (IGP) for Sindh, Geo News reported.

The candidates whose names would reportedly be considered for the IG Sindh post include Sardar Abdul Majeed Dasti, Captain (retd) Arif Nawaz Khan and Mehr Khaliq Dad Lak.

Captain (retd) Arif Nawaz Khan and Mehr Khaliq Dad Lak were recently appointed as IG Punjab and Additional Director-General Intelligence Bureau (IB), respectively.

As per reports in the media, the Sindh government earlier this month once again asked the federal government to post Sardar Abdul Majeed Dasti as the new IG Sindh.

In a letter to the centre, it mentioned that Lak "has previously never been posted in Sindh and hence lacks experience about the 'dynamics of this province'".

According to a copy of the letter obtained by Geo News, however, suggestions to replace Khawaja included Dasti, Ghulam Qadir Thebo, and Kaleem Imam.

The letter gave a reference to the provincial cabinet's decision to replace Khawaja and requested the centre to appoint one of the three officials suggested by the Sindh government.

Commenting on the development, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah — Minister of Information for Sindh — on Saturday said the centre is "creating problems" by attempting to appoint a replacement of Khawaja.

The court "orders demand that a 22-grade officer is appointed as the province's police chief," Shah said, following a session of the Sindh Cabinet.

"The province cannot continue with a 21-grade IGP when a 22-grade officer is serving the force."

Khawaja to continue

The provincial government's earlier attempts to replace Sindh's top cop were dismissed by both the federal government and the Sindh High Court (SHC).

Last year, in September, the SHC had dismissed the provincial government's order removing Khawaja as the Sindh police chief and ordered that he complete his due term.

The two-judge bench — headed by Justice Muneeb Akhtar — had reserved its decision in the case challenging Khawaja's removal on May 30.

On April 3, the court had dismissed the provincial government’s decision to remove the Sindh police chief after a group of activists approached the SHC challenging his controversial removal.

In its judgment, the court had also declared all postings and transfers carried out in the province after July 7 as illegal.

Dasti was also recommended earlier, on October 28, 2017, when Secretary Services for Sindh had proposed that the former replace Khawaja. The suggestion was made during a Sindh Cabinet session, which was presided by Syed Murad Ali Shah — Chief Minister for Sindh.

In his briefing, the Secretary Services had said Khawaja was brought as the IGP Sindh in 2016 under own payscale (OPS), but the SC had later ended all such postings.