ISLAMABAD, Dec 27: The government on Wednesday made major changes in the country’s police departments, replacing inspectors-general of the Police in the NWFP, Punjab and Balochistan. The IG of the Motorway was also changed.
The decision was taken by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and the establishment division had notified the changes, a source in the interior ministry told Dawn.
None of the removed IGs had completed his three-year tenure, thus strengthening apprehensions in the police circles that the changes were politically-motivated as elections were due in January 2008. Analysts felt that the move was aimed at ensuring postings of more “loyal” officials to the top police posts.
According to a notification of the establishment division, Motorway Police IG Ahmed Naseem has been posted as Punjab IGP and the sitting Punjab IGP Ziaul Hasan has been transferred as the Commandant of the National Police Academy.
The Commandant of the National Police Academy, Asif Shah, has replaced Tariq Khosa as the Federal Investigation Agency’s Deputy Director-General. Mr Tariq Khosa has been made the IGP of Balochistan while the outgoing IGP of Balochistan, Muhammad Yaqoob, has been made a member of the Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission.
The IGP of North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Riffat Kamal Pasha, has been appointed as the IG of Motorway Police while Intelligence Bureau Additional Director Sharif Virk has been made the new IGP of the NWFP.
Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, when contacted by Dawn to comment on the changes, said that the reshuffle in the top police bureaucracy was a “routine and normal” practice, and there was nothing significant in the move.
He said the IGPs of Balochistan and the NWFP had almost completed their tenures, and expressed the hope that new transfers and postings would further strengthen the security in the country.
The minister said that 64 senior police officials, recently promoted to grade 20 and 21, had been waiting for their postings for the last two months, and the recent transfers were meant to accommodate these police officials.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Wednesday directed newly-appointed Inspectors-general of Police to adopt a proactive approach to maintain law and order and to prevent the incidence of crime in the country.He said this while talking to the newly-appointed IGPs of Punjab and Balochistan, Ahmed Nasim and Tariq Masood Khosa who called on him at the PM's House.
NWFP’s new IG Sharif Virk was not present in the meeting as he is at present in Saudi Arabia to perform Haj.
The prime minister said that the police should perform their duties without any fear or favour and in a transparent manner, and spare no effort to redress grievances of the common man.
