LAHORE: PML-N MPA Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan on Saturday filed an application before the Lahore High Court seeking permission to place on record an adverse report of the Central Selection Board against Lahore’s CCPO Umar Sheikh in a pending petition against the transfer of former IGP Shoaib Dastagir and appointment of the incumbent.

The application filed through Advocate Usama Khawar Ghumman states that the present CCPO is allegedly “financially and morally corrupt” and has been accused of misuse of authority by the Central Selection Board. It says as a consequence of the report Sheikh’s promotion was suppressed by the board.

The application points out that the respondent few days after his appointment committed insubordination of his IGP and passed derogatory remarks against his superiors and later demonstrated deep-rooted misogyny and incompetence when he blamed a rape victim for her agony on the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway.

It argues that the performance of the CCPO is an ample evidence that the provincial government has not exercised its discretion reasonably and justly while appointing the respondent. It alleges that the respondent police officer has been appointed with mala fide intention to victimise political opponents and “sort out” independent minded police officers in Lahore.

Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim would resume on Monday the hearing on the main petition against the transfers of the former IGP and the CCPO in violation of Police Order 2002.

On the previous hearing, the CJ had sought detailed arguments from the lawyers of the federal and Punjab governments on the maintainability of the petition. In their preliminary arguments, the law officers had objected to the competence of the petition to be heard by the high court and also the locus standi of the opposition MPA to agitate the matter before the court.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2020