ISLAMABAD: A test for selecting capital police officials for the UN peacekeeping mission was cancelled after several complaints of favouritism were lodged at the Central Police Office Islamabad.

The complainants also demanded an inquiry into the written test held at Police Lines Headquarters on Jan 1, which was the first phase of the selection process.

According to sources, the two officers responsible for conducting the test were on duty with a minister. The sources said the two officials only supervised the process and left the work to their staff, including printing the tests and transporting them.

“The staff of the two officers, including readers- an SSP and SP- also appeared in the test and obtained positions,” an official said, adding that the two officers responsible for conducting the tests are also accused of nepotism.

Officers who had helped print, transport the tests had also appeared in the exam, police officials said

After receiving the complaints, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tariq Masood Yasin ordered an inquiry and appointed a deputy inspector general of police and a superintendent of police to look into the matter.

A police official told Dawn the inquiry had found the allegations to be true after which the process was cancelled.

“Some of the candidates who cleared the first phase of the selection process had not even appeared for the test and some had taken the test another day,” he added.

The official said IGP Yasin had then cancelled the process and ordered for fresh tests to be conducted.

“The matter was referred to the DIG Headquarter to be inquired into in detail,” he said. Over 500 police officials from various ranks took the test of which 66 succeeded including the readers of the two officers in the headquarters.

The process for selecting officials from police departments for the UN peacekeeping mission started after a gap of three years. The interior minister had banned police participation in UN missions abroad in 2014 and the ban was lifted in 2016.

The National Police Bureau then made the criteria for the selection of officials for the UN peacekeeping mission and the capital police was given a 40pc quota, which was equally divided among those who had already served in the mission and those who had not.

Earlier, those who had already served in the UN peacekeeping mission were not allowed to serve again. Some of these officials had challenged this decision, made by the SP Headquarters, and said they will go to court against it, which resulted in the withdrawal of the decision.

When asked, one of the inquiry officers, Superintendent of Police RIU/IT Zahida Bukhari confirmed that the test was cancelled after several complaints were received and that the process will be started all over again.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2017