PESHAWAR, Sept 6: The federal and NWFP governments have locked horns over the transfer of the Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) Police, Hazara, it is learnt.
The federal government on Wednesday issued a notification directing DIG Rao Amin Hashem to report to the Establishment Division in Islamabad immediately for further posting, officials said.
The order surprised the MMA-led provincial government as it had not been taken into confidence about the decision, a senior official at the NWFP establishment department told Dawn on Thursday.
According to rules, the federal government usually requests the provincial government for relieving an officer, when his services are required at other places and further posting is possible only when the provincial government lets go of an officer, he said.
In this case, however, the federal government did not follow the procedure and unilaterally issued transfer orders of the DIG, the official claimed.
The provincial government received the transfer order issued by the Establishment Division in Islamabad on Thursday that was brought to the notice of NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani, who would be taking up the matter with the federal government, he said.
The official said the chief minister had taken a serious note of the issue and directed the officer concerned not to relinquish charge of his post.
When contacted, the DIG said he had not relinquished charge as he was yet to receive instructions about his transfer.
He said the provincial government had directed him to carry on with his job.
Meanwhile, a handout issued on Thursday evening quoted the chief minister as saying that Mr Hashem had been directed not to relinquish charge and to continue his duties.
The chief minister said the provincial government was already facing a shortage of senior officers and it was becoming difficult to maintain law and order in the NWFP.
He said that even though the situation in Hazara was peaceful, transfer of the DIG was not justified, which was carried out without consulting or taking the provincial government into confidence.
Chief Minister Durrani argued that administrative decisions should be taken irrespective of political considerations and urged the federal government to review its decision in public interest.
