October 02, 2007	Tuesday	Ramazan 19, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Oct 1: If past practice of the administration is anything to go by, the suspension of Inspector General Police (IGP), Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad on Monday on Supreme Court’s order may prove to be a temporary act and not real punishment.

Sources in the police and establishment departments said a grade-21 officer would investigate the allegations levelled against the IGP Syed Moravet Ali Shah, SSP Dr Naeem Khan and DC Chaudhry Mohammad Ali.

They would be punished if found guilty as charged of using force against lawyers and mediapersons. The major punishment would be dismissal from service, the sources added.

There is always the possibility that “the competent authority” restores the suspended officers on their posts during the inquiry and transferred to some other district before it is completed, according to the sources.

Such inquiries take a long time to complete. For example the one into some police officers’ failure to control a mob which went on a rampage after the funeral of the slain religious leader MNA Maulana Azam Tariq in October 2003, is still going on.

The then IGP, additional SP and SP were similarly suspended. SP Taimur Ali Khan, however, was restored soon afterwards and continues to perform in the position to this day.

The latest suspensions followed Supreme Court’s suo motu action against the brute force used by law enforcement agencies against lawyers and media persons on the occasion of scrutiny of the nomination papers of the presidential candidates in Islamabad on Saturday.

During their suspension the officers cannot attend their offices, nor wear their uniforms. Deputy Inspector General of Police Shahid Nadeem Baloch will look after the work of IGP, SSP Headquarters Taimur Ali Khan of the SSP, and additional deputy commissioner of Islamabad Amir Ali the duties of DC.

In the meantime, two inquiries have been launched into Saturday’s violence - one ordered by the prime minister and the other, interestingly, by the suspended IGP Moravet Ali Shah who himself in an accused.

Both the suspended police officers were new to their jobs in Islamabad. SSP Naeem Khan took up as SSP operation on September 20 and Syed Moravet Ali Shah as IGP Islamabad on September 24.

Interestingly the latter was on transfer to Gujranwala as Regional Police Officer there. But he dragged his feet till he got his choice posting as IGP Islamabad.

But fate seemed to have other plans for him as he lasted in the post less than a week.