LAHORE, April 9: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday held interviews for the Nankana district police officer post, which has been lying vacant for about two weeks when SP Shahzad Waheed Bhopal allegedly committed suicide. Sources told Dawn that Lahore's Model Town SP (Operations) Dr Haider Ashraf and Saddar SP (investigation) Ahmad Nawaz Cheema had appeared for interview before the provincial chief executive.

Meanwhile, three key posts in the investigation wing of Lahore police have not been filled after three DSPs from the Punjab police, who were posted as SPs on 'shoulder promotion', were transferred on the orders of the Supreme Court in connection with a seniority case.

The posts of Model Town SP (investigation), the City division SP (investigation) and the Iqbal Town division SP (investigation) have been lying vacant for the last one month while SPs of the operations wing have been supervising the affairs since then. A senior police official said the Punjab police was currently facing shortage of SPs as it was awaiting a nod from the IGP for the appointment of newly-promoted SPs against vacant slots.

He said Lahore's Defence circle ASP Maroof Safdar, Gulberg circle ASP Hassan Sukhaira and ASP Sarfraz, who were promoted recently, were likely to be appointed as new SPs (investigations) by Monday.

Mr Safdar would be appointed as Model Town SP (investigation), Mr Sukhaira as Saddar division SP (investigation) and Mr Sarfraz as Iqbal Town division SP (investigation), he said.