LAHORE, Oct 21: The Punjab government transferred on Monday Lahore Operations DIG Tahir Rai and posted him as the finance & welfare DIG at the Central Police Office (CPO).
The transfer of the senior police officer triggered speculations that he was removed from the post as a result of a probe into allegations leveled by a woman that Mr Rai and his brother had patronised land grabbers who occupied her house in Stattokatla, Lahore.
Finalised by DIG Muhammad Amlish, former DIG Maj Mubashirullah (retired) and DIG Malik Abu Bakar Khuda Bakhsh, the initial report on the probe was submitted to the chief minister a few days back.
A spokesman for the police, however, claimed the report had yet not held Mr Rai or any other member of his family guilty as it had not been finalised.
Zahida Aleem Khwaja of Iqbal Avenue Cooperative Housing Society had alleged that at the behest of DIG Tahir Rai and his brother Rai Tariq, Sattokatla police had barged into her house on Oct 4, 2013, and forced those present there to vacate the building. She also alleged that police had registered a false case against her and her family members.
Mr Tahir Rai has strongly contradicted the report that his transfer was linked to the inquiry’s findings.
“Neither I was held guilty in the report nor my transfer was linked to this incident”, Mr Tahir told Dawn.
He said that he had requested the Punjab government to make the inquiry report public shortly after a section of the media claimed that he (Tahir Rai) had been held guilty.
He said that he had taken action against Ms Khwaja on the report of Gulberg ASP who conducted a detailed inquiry into a complaint that some alleged land grabbers had occupied a house at her behest. The ASP had declared in his report that land grabbers had got the house vacated at gunpoint and facilitated the woman in occupying the premises.
Meanwhile, Punjab police Inspector General Khan Baig has issued transfer and posting orders of five other police officers.
A notification issued on Monday said Hassan Mushtaq Sukhera, Lahore’s Additional Headquarters SP, has been transferred and posted as Muzaffargarh District Police Officer vice Abdul Jabbar who has been transferred and posted as Lahore SSP Operations. Rana Shahid Pervaiz, awaiting posting has been transferred and posted as Police Training School Rawalpindi Principal vice Sikander Hayat who has been posted as SSP Operations Rawalpindi. Capt. (retired) Jawad Qamar, Lahore operations SSP, has been closed to Central Police Office, Punjab, Lahore, with immediate effect.— Staff Reporter
