ISLAMABAD: Three more senior police officers of the city, suspended by the federal government for insubordination or bad conduct, have been recalled to duty, raising the number of such reinstatements in a week to seven.

Police sources said that, like the previous four officers, ASPs Yasir Afridi and Irum Abbasi and DSP Idrees Rathore owed their reinstatement on Wednesday to the efforts of Inspector General of Police Tahir Alam Khan.

These reinstatements came at a time when the PTI and PAT were continuing their anti-government protests and the capital police were feeling short of senior officers, and its ranks were applying for leave to avoid confronting the protesters, according to the sources.

“Most seek 15 to 30 days leave but all requests have been denied,” said one source, adding that the reinstatement of officers would boost the sagging morale of the police force.

ASPs Afridi and Abbasi were suspended last April after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif showed displeasure over the police action against Defence of Human Rights protesters. DSP Rathore was suspended in April 2013 for letting former president retired general Pervez Musharraf leave the Islamabad High Court unchallenged after the court rejected his bail application in the judges detention case.

Move boosts morale of Islamabad police to lead from the front against anti-government protesters

They have now been posted as Sub-Divisional Police Officer and DSP Secretariat Security Group.

In June this year the report of an inquiry into the police action against the human rights protesters said the allegations against ASPs Afridi and Abbasi were not proven. But the interior secretary disapproved of its recommendation to reinstate them.

Inspector General of Police, Tahir Alam Khan took note of the unrest in the police ranks on assuming charge in the chaos of the ongoing anti-government sit-ins. Those disinclined to use force against the protesters feared being blamed and reprimanded for the same in the aftermath.

They also had in mind that interior minister and secretary had assured former SSP Mohammad Ali Nekokara on August 27 that use of force would not be required, and then going back on the word, said the sources.

“Such circumstances require supervisory officers who could inspire the police force against the protesters to get desired results,” they said, referring to the recall of the four suspended DSPs last week and now the two ASPs and one DSP.

“There is a lot of work to do to keep the morale of the police high,” the reinstated officers said.

Now leaves of constable and ASI ranks are being approved only “in genuine cases”.

“Every day senior officers, including the IGP, instruct the force to remove elements which bring the Punjab police into disrepute,” the Islamabad police sources said.

“Now we inform our ranks that the capital police will lead from the front under supervision of their officers in case of action against the protesters, with the Punjab, Railway and Azad Kashmir police playing a supporting role,” they added.

Published in Dawn, September 11th , 2014