LAHORE: The transfer of a police officer has sent a wave of resentment among the provincial cadre police in Punjab since he has been pursuing their service matters at different official forums.

Sheikhupura Investigation SP Syed Mohammad Abbas was transferred on Wednesday by IGP Inam Ghani, who placed his services at the disposal of Additional Inspector General of Police, South Punjab, for further posting.

An official privy to the development told this reporter that ranker police officers have been protesting the alleged discrimination meted out to them by the Punjab police department in promotion, appointment and transfer/postings in the province. He said the Police Order (Amendment) Bill 2021 tabled in the Punjab assembly last month had irked the senior command at the Central Police Office (CPO).

Syed Mohammad Abbas, according to him, was frequently visiting the Punjab Assembly, law and other relevant government departments and actively pursuing the cases.

Five MPAs, including Sajjad Ahmad Bhatti, Syed Hassan Murtaza, Mohammad Arshad Malik and Ghazanfar Abbas, had tabled a private bill ‘Police Order (Amendment) Bill 2021.

Earlier, Abbas held several meetings with the Punjab Law Minister where the additional IG Ali Aamir Malik represented the Punjab police department or the PSPs while he (Abbas) attended meetings on behalf of the provincial police officers.

Arguing, Mr Abbas claimed that most of the seats reserved for the provincial police officers in Punjab had been occupied by the officers from the Police Service of Pakistan (PSPs).

The Police Order 2002 provides for the constitution of departmental promotion committees/boards up to the rank of SP and no such boards have been provided for the upper ranks i-e senior superintendent of police (SSP), deputy inspector general (DIG), and additional inspector general (Add IG), resulting in many administrative problems. As such, half of such posts are lying vacant.

The bill stated that after the 18th Amendment in 2010 and the Punjab government rules of business 2011, the Rule 23 (1) read with fourth schedule serial no 10, empowers chief minister to appoint, promote, post and transfer SSPs, DIGs, Additional Igs.

“Police is a provincial subject and all its posts are created and budgeted in the provincial budget by the province,” reads the Police Order (Amendment) Bill 2021.

Following this move of the MPAs, the provincial assembly of Punjab sought an advice from the secretary of law and parliamentary affairs.

Issued on Aug 10 by its secretary Mohammad Khan Bhatti , the letter reads: “I am directed to state that MPA Sajjad Ahmad Bhatti and others have given notice of a private members bill titled the Police Order (Amendment) Bill 2021. Mr speaker has desired that you may advise this secretariat about the admissibility of the bill in consultation with the concerned departments.”

On receiving the letter from the Punjab Assembly, the law and parliamentary affairs department sought comments from the additional chief secretary home on the subject bill through a letter written on Aug 26.

Following this administrative requirement, the home department sought comments/report from IGP Inam Ghani. Earlier, in the first week of last month, as many as 43 provincial service officers of Punjab police serving in BS-18 against various positions had refused appointment under the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) cadre, fearing they might lose seniority in the provincial cadre under the Punjab Civil Servants Act 1974.

The official said the sudden transfer of SP Syed Mohammad Abbas might further widen differences between the PSPs and the provincial cadre police officers as it would not be easy for him to follow the matter from South Punjab.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2021