September 17, 2007	Monday	Ramazan 04, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Sept 16: Deputy Superintendent of Police Jamil Hashmi of I-9 circle was transferred to Islamabad Traffic Police on Saturday.

DSP Hashmi is the last of the three top Islamabad police officials to be removed from their posts for manhandling the then suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and for failing to prevent Lal Masjid being turned into a fortress.

Earlier Inspector General of Police Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmad was shifted to the Ministry of Population on August 28 and Senior Superintendent of Police Zafar Iqbal was sidelined as Officer on Special Duty on September 12. The Supreme Court conducted suo motu proceedings against the three for mistreating the chief justice but has yet to announce its verdict.

Their colleagues in the police say the three paid the price of obeying official directives and had punishment coming anyway. “If the government had not punished them the court would have,” said one of them.

DSP Hashmi is likely to take the charge of DSP Traffic Headquarters on Monday.

Police sources complained that whenever the law and order situation arose in the capital city the blame was put on the Islamabad police and the administration.

The IGP post is still lying vacant as competent and capable officers are reluctant to work on the post. DIG Shahid Nadeem Baloch is performing the duty of IGP, the sources said.

Five or six names, including those of DIG Rawalpindi, Syed Moravet Ali Shah, and IGP Balochistan Tariq Masood Khosa, were being considered for the post of Islamabad IGP.

The name of SSP Naeem Khan and Additional Inspector- General of Police Dr Sultan Azam Temuri along with some other names were being considered for the post of SSP Islamabad.

The sources said the establishment was considering to appoint SSP Khan as AIG Special Branch and also gave him additional charge of SSP (operation) Islamabad till the appointment of suitable candidate for the post.

Newly appointed DSP Farhat Abbas Kazmi has replaced DSP Hashmi.

Three policemen suspended: An assistant sub-inspector and two constables of Industrial Area police station were suspended by DSP I-9 Circle for misbehaving with some journalists who filmed them while they were allegedly taking bribe from a driver at Faizabad.

DSP Jamil Hashmi told Dawn that he received a verbal complaint from a private TV journalist that the police personnel misbehaved with him and his colleagues on Friday night.

The journalist told the DSP that his colleague had filmed the police personnel, deployed at a picket on Islamabad Highway near Faizabad, taking bribe from a car rider at around 2am.

The DSP asked the journalist to lodge a written complaint with the police station for further legal action.

When contacted, the journalist said the police personnel snatched camera from his colleague and started thrashing him when he filmed them taking bribe.