LAHORE, July 12: The provincial government and police authorities on Friday appointed a regional police officer, a city police officer and nine district police officers in the second biggest reshuffle in Punjab after the May 11 general election.

According to a notification issued by the Services & General Administration Department, the government appointed DIG Ahmad Ishaq Jahangir as Bahawalpur regional police officer (RPO) vice Farooq Mazhar Khan and SSP Captain (retired) Shoaib as new Multan city police officer against an existing vacancy.

Punjab Police Inspector General Khan Baig issued transfer and posting orders of 11 police officers, says a handout issued here.

Awaiting posting, Sadiq Ali Dogar was posted Vehari district police officer (DPO) against an existing vacancy; Punjab Special Branch SP Dr Shahzad Asif was transferred and posted Toba Tek Singh DPO vice Rai Babar Saeed who was transferred and posted Punjab Special Branch SSP; Kasur DPO Rai Ijaz Ahmad was transferred and posted SSP Battalion Commander No.7, Punjab Constabulary, Lahore vice Munir Ahmad Zia Rao who was transferred and posted Chiniot DPO and Chiniot DPO Ghulam Mubashir Maken was transferred and posted Faisalabad SSP (operations).

Similarly, Punjab Special Branch SSP Muhammad Saleem was transferred and posted Kasur DPO; Sahiwal Regional Investigation Branch SP Ehsan Manzoor was transferred and posted Rajanpur DPO against an existing vacancy; awaiting posting SSP Sohail Habib Tajik was posted Bahawalpur DPO against an existing vacancy; Bahawalnagar DPO Muntazir Mehdi was transferred and posted Nankana DPO and Nankana DPO Athar Ismail Amjad was transferred and posted Bahawalnagar DPO with immediate effect.

Police sources told Dawn that 13 police officers of DIG to SP ranks were interviewed by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif at 8am on Friday and only seven of them were picked for field assignments.

They said the chief minister had interviewed DIGs Saad Akhtar Bharwana and Ahmad Ishaq Jahangir; SSPs Captain (retired) Shoaib, Sohail Habib Tajik, Munir Ahmad Zia Rao, Shahzad Akbar, Muhammad Saleem and Mujahid Akbar and SPs Abdul Ghaffar Qaisarani, Sadiq Ali, Shahzad Asif, Usman Gondal and Abdul Hameed Khoso.

Sources said two DPOs who were transferred and given new districts were not called for interviews. They were Muntazir Mehdi and Athar Ismail. They said that in spite of recommendation of IG Khan Baig to give field assignments to SSP Mujahid Akbar and SP Ghaffar Qaisarani who were considered “upright and professional police officers”, the chief minister didn’t appoint them.