LAHORE, April 6: The Punjab police high-ups have sprung into action to get the implementation of the home department’s plan of specifying grades and ranks for all top field posts in the province stopped, considering the scheme a threat to the existing command system.

“Efforts are being made even to prevail upon the chief minister to intervene so that the home department cannot implement its plan,” official sources claimed on Friday.

They informed Dawn that the revelation of the new plan had sent a wave of concern among the rank and file of the police department because its implementation meant large-scale uprooting of a large number of top field officials in Punjab.

“This is no small thing as you are talking of removal of DPOs, DIGs and additional IGs,” they said.

The Punjab government through the home department has made a plan to specify posts of regional police officers, city police officers and district police officers strictly in accordance with the Police Order 2002 in pursuance of a Lahore High Court directive.

The chief element of the plan, which the government intends to implement quickly, is the specification of the post of DPO for only BS-19 officers. And it is being taken as the dynamite for the status quo as 25 out of 30 posts of DPOs are being occupied by BS-18 officers who are considered more powerful than the system.

Sources said the police top brass was worried about the plan because of the government’s intentions to post relevant officers on the posts specified for their rank and grade as fast as possible.

“As far as I know, the police are going to fight tooth and nail to get the new plan stopped,” the officials hinted.

When explained that the plan had been made in accordance with a LHC direction and according to the prevalent law, they said one could seek its delay in the name of shortage of officers for the prescribed posts, or field requirements.

“The police point of view is that they need right men for the right posts and they are running short of officers,” the officials claimed.

They said the police department would like to match implementation of the police order with the ground realities and was now approaching the right quarters for getting things right.