LAHORE, Jan 16: Anyone can understand the gravity of gross violations in police postings in Punjab where the provincial government always raises slogan for merit but the junior most officers are not only given postings on higher positions but also encouraged to wear higher rank badges contrary to the government rules.

The practice is not only demoralising officers of the same batches, but also tarnishing the department’s image due to lack of career planning.

Punjab police have been witnessing the trend of junior officers working on senior positions despite availability of senior officials in all ranks.

Punjab police authorities have recently posted two assistant superintendents of police (ASPs) of 36th Common as additional superintendents of police (SPs) on a pay and scale (OPS) basis despite the fact that they don’t even meet basic criteria for two-year field service. Spokeswoman for Punjab police Nabeela Ghazanfar, quoting acting IGP Khan Baig, said the officers had been posted on OPS basis and recent postings did not fall within the purview of any violations.

She said the IGP would, however, check the pinning of badges by the officers in violation of the Establishment Division criteria and take disciplinary action against them.

ASP Agha Ramzan Ali is working as Saddar SP (Investigation) while ASP Dr Farrukh Raza is continuing as Civil Lines SP (Operations) from Jan 9 after both were transferred from the posts of Lahore Gulberg and Defence circles being sub-divisional police officers (SDPOs).

A source confided to Dawn that after both the officers assumed the charge very next day, their superiors directed them to wear badge of additional SP before coming into meetings.

He said one of the two officers ‘argued’ with the authorities that they couldn’t pin the next rank badge till formal promotion and issuance of notification by the Establishment Division, but they were advised to do so.

Interestingly, both Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations) and DIG (Investigation) are too working on OPS basis, but they are wearing the badge of SSP.

The source said the ASPs of 36th Common were expected to be promoted by second half of 2013.

Interestingly, at least nine ASPs of the same batch are continuing postings across the province as SDPOs.

Sources said a couple of them had already rejected the offer of additional SPs keeping in view the case of their batchmate who was transferred from Daska circle SDPO and posted Sialkot SP (Investigation) on OPS basis some time ago.

They said the ASP had been transferred only after a former PML-N MPA was thrashed by police and he was posted in other district. He refused to work as ASP and got him transferred to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to avoid embarrassment.

Sources said such officers working on OPS basis, if transferred from one district to the other, had to assume the charge on actual designation.

Both ASPs, when contacted by this reporter telephonically, confirmed that they had pinned the badges with the permission of their seniors.