July 24, 2008	Thursday	Rajab 20, 1429

LAHORE, July 23: The Punjab government on Wednesday removed 220 petty police and revenue officials facing corruption cases from their posts, implementing the order of Chief Minster Shahbaz Sharif and declaring the action a warning for the big dirty fish.

Among those removed, patwaris outnumbered the police officials. The senior most officers facing chief minister’s wrath are two DSPs and one naib tehsildar.

“We have transferred 220 and not 160 officials facing FIRs lodged by the Anti-Corruption Establishment because they were still holding the posts which they were accused of misusing for personal gains. Yes, they are the small fry but the chief minister has asked the ACE to now catch the big corrupt fish,” a senior official told Dawn.

He said all the removed officials had been asked to report to their respective headquarters. The provincial government had not suspended any of the officials from service because that could be done only by the competent authorities, he said, adding that none of them would, however, get any posting till the disposal of cases against them.

Terming the officials’ removal a big step, he said occupation of the posts theses officials were accused of misusing meant they were being allowed to temper with the related evidence to save their skins in the court of law.

Allowing a patwari to continue on his post actually amounted to allowing him to remove evidence of his corruption from the record still under his possession, he said. Similarly, a police officer accused of taking bribe could not be expected to maintain the actual record of his misdeed to ‘prove himself guilty.’

“Their removal will allow handing over the related record to independent officials, and ensure punishment to those found guilty as a result,” he said.

According to official lists, the senior most officials facing action include Jhang Naib Tehsildar Imran Joseph, CIA Icchra (Lahore) DSP Rai Zameer and CPO Lahore DSP Irshad Ghulab.