LAHORE, May 18: The fast changing political situation in the country and the concomitant uncertainty has thrown into disarray almost every sphere of governance in the province, and Punjab police is no exception to it.

Shaken by the ongoing spate of transfers and postings, and apprehensive of the `style’ of the de facto ruler of the province (read Shahbaz Sharif), who enjoys reputation of a tough administrator, the force will take sometime before it gets adjusted to the new masters.

Another factor which adds to the shakiness of the force is the uncertain future of the new government itself. The political scenario emerging after the exit of PML-N members from the federal cabinet over judicial issue and the recent appointment of the new governor with `PPP leanings’ has made unsure even those officer who have been given key postings after they were interviewed by a selection committee. This is having an obvious bearing on their performance.

Sources say that PML-N bosses’ search of `loyalists’ among the force who could efficiently carry forward the government’s agenda is a big obstacle to filling of many key slots in the department which is adversely affecting the performance of the force.

Currently, posts of additional IGs of Punjab, traffic, Special Branch, Elite Force, Gujranwala CPO, DPOs of Gujrat, Okara and Vehari, besides four SPs (Sadar investigation, Model Town investigation, Mughalpura division and coordination) in Lahore are lying vacant.

Meanwhile, the department under the new provincial administration suffers from blatant violations of the Police Order 2002, resulting in rise in the number of disgruntled officers who think their right has been encroached upon. The anomaly has also been pointed out by the Lahore High Court.

For example, the police order clearly says that an officer of additional IG rank should be posted as chief of capital city police and the district police officer should be an SSP. The rule has been flouted by posting a deputy inspector general of police as CCPO of Lahore and at least 14 superintendents of police as DPOs.

Similarly, the sources say, some of the current postings across the province are said to be politically motivated. Specially mentionable are appointments of DIG Muhammad Pervez Rathore (Lahore CCPO), DIG Zulfikar Cheema (Gujranwala RPO) and DIG Rao Muhammad Iqbal (Rawalpindi CPO). The officers, respectively, enjoy the patronage of PML-N patron Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif and Chaudhry Nisar Ali.

Shaukat Javed, who was heading Intelligence Bureau before assuming his present charge of Punjab IG on April 17, 2008, has posted two of his juniors in the spy agency --- Lahore SSP (operations) Chaudhry Shafiq Ahmed and IG’s principal staff officer, SP Humayun Bashir Tarar – in the department to make his own team.

Moreover, in the city districts of Gujranwala, Multan and Faisalabad, top police officers have dual charge of regional and city police officers.

“It seems the provincial government is finding it difficult to fill the vacant slots either due to unwillingness of officers or lack of availability of loyal police officers,” a senior police officer of the Punjab police commented.

He said a majority of police officers in BS-19 resented appointment of BS-18 DPOs.

“If violation of Police Order 2002 continues, how can it be implemented in letter and spirit and if the government wants to post officers of its own choice, the order must be amended as per its wishes,” he said.

He further said the delay in postings on vacant slots was adversely affecting the working of police force.

The result of all these anomalies is being reflected in a sudden surge in crime against property and incidence of abduction for ransom across the province.

According to official statistics, the outlaws have so far killed at least 11 people and injured 19 others on resistance during the last one month while more than 630 incidents of robbery, street crime and car and motorcycle theft have occurred during the period.

The sources said fear of strict internal accountability was also making officers reluctant to work in Lahore. Due to this factor two SPs, who were earlier posted in two divisions of Lahore, refused to serve in the city, they added.

Certain police quarters are of the opinion that the present top brass of the capital city police, Lahore, is just `out of practice’ because these officers have been kept away from mainstream postings during the past many years.