LAHORE, June 26: The provincial police chief on Tuesday made Sheikhupura additional SP Waqasul Hassan, who allegedly showed non-serious attitude and remained ‘drunk’ during a training course in Turkey in April this year, an officer on special duty.

A stern disciplinary action has also been recommended against the PSP officer to the federal government with resentment that he not only defamed the police department but also Pakistan at an international forum, sources at the Punjab Police Headquarters told Dawn.

After Turkish police authorities pressed for strict action against SP Waqas and warned to discontinue courses for Pakistani police officers in an official email a couple of weeks ago, police authorities had ‘cautiously’ selected a fourth batch of 12 Punjab police officers to attend ‘Crime Intelligence Analysis Course’ scheduled to be held from July 9 to July 20 at Ankara.

Sources said the IGP replied three days ago to the Turkish National Police with a note that the federal government had been approached for
suitable action against the officer who earned the police and the country a bad name.

The IGP also conveyed to the TNP that now officers would be sent after scrutiny, sources said.

They said IGP Mohammad Habibur Rehman had earlier marked an inquiry to the two additional IGs against 31st Commoner SP Waqas after the TNP authorities also wrote a letter to the Punjab government about the attitude of the SP.

It was also said in the complaint that the officer didn’t take interest in learning during lectures and used to sleep in classroom.

Sources said the Turkish police further complained that the SP also misbehaved with trainers under the influence and strictly warned not to send such officers in future.

They said the Establishment Division after receiving any complaint usually issued show cause to the officer with BS-18, held inquiry and then recommended action.

SP Waqas couldn’t be reached for comments.

Nabeela Ghazanfar, the spokeswoman for the IGP, confirmed that the action had been recommended against Mr Waqas after the IGP received an email from TNP.

She said the IGP held an inquiry before writing to the provincial Services and General Administration department which further wrote to the ED for action against the SP.

Meanwhile, officers who have been selected for course are: Punjab AIG Vigilance Muhammad Ahmad Kamal, Faisalabad SSP Investigation Mujahid Akbar Khan, Faisalabad Iqbal Town SP Shakir Husain, Lahore Cantonment SP Investigation Muhammad Anwar Khetran,
Sargodha region Special Branch SP Altaf Ahmed Gondal, Faisalabad Jaranwala SP Shah Nawaz, Sargodha Bhalwal circle ASP Irfan Tariq, Lahore Gulberg circle ASP Tariq Aziz Sindhu, Sargodha region A/DIG DSP Ghazanfar Abbas, Faisalabad City Traffic Police DSP Khurram Shahzad, DSP/Int SB Headquarters Irfan Amir and Lahore Civil Lines circle DSP Raza Safdar Kazmi.

Earlier, three police batches have completed courses involving subjects of security, cell-phone tracking, de-radicalization, statement of analysis in crime investigation. The courses are being conducted by National Turkish Police officers in Ankara in the wake of an agreement between the Punjab Police and the NTP signed a few months ago.

Two courses were run by the NTP at Chuhng Police Training College in June this year. — MUHAMMAD FAISAL ALI