LAHORE: In what is believed to be an expected administrative shuffle in the Punjab Police, the provincial government removed Chiniot District Police Officer (DPO) Munir Zia Rao and surrendered him to the federal government on Wednesday.

The axe fell on Rao following reports of his alleged involvement in corruption and that some other field officers were to follow him, reliable sources told Dawn. They said a couple of legislators had earlier brought the matter into the notice of the chief minister and the provincial police chief that the DPO was involved in corruption and misuse of authority.

Sources said the provincial government took notice a few days ago and decided in principle to transfer the officer and put his services at the disposal of the Establishment Division, Islamabad.

They said some police officers had been interviewed by the chief minister for the post of the Chiniot DPO on July 13, but notification was kept pending until the return of Inspector General Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera from his foreign visit.

Rao has already faced a National Accountability Bureau inquiry in connection with the Sialkot Suzuki Motor scandal involving Rs380 million in 2011. The inquiry against the motor company began in September 2010 wherein Rao was alleged to have misused authority during his posting as the Sialkot superintendent of police (investigation) and received monetary benefits from the accused at the cost of the affectees.Sources said all the field police officers whose integrity and inefficiency had been questioned were likely to be shown the door. Their lists had already been finalised at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat following results of low downs – information about track record and reputation gathered from fellow officers -- submitted by the Special Branch, Intelligence Bureau and the Inter-Services Intelligence.

They further said transfers of some regional police officers, DPOs of two districts and city police officer of a central Punjab city were also on the cards. They would be replaced shortly, the sources claimed.

According to a field police officer, some officers enjoying a good repute might have been ‘targeted’ for transfer or surrender to the federal government owing to professional and political victimisation.

Meanwhile, the provincial government has yet to appoint the Lahore capital city police officer despite interviews of four DIGs -- Zulfiqar Hameed, Rehmatullah Khan Niazi, retired Captain Ahsaan Tufail and Sahibzada Shahzad Sultan -- by the chief minister on July 13.

The seat fell vacant after the transfer of DIG Chaudhry Shafique Ahmad in the aftermath of the Model Town incident on June 17. Though DIG (Investigation) Zulfiqar Hameed, who is holding the acting charge of the CCPO, is a hot contender for being close to the IGP, but he is the junior-most DIG in the PSP.

NEW NH&MP DIG: DIG Bashir Ahmed Memon assumed the charge of zonal commander of the National Highways & Motorway Police N-5 Central Zone Lahore on Wednesday.

According to a press release, Memon while presiding over a meeting at the Zonal Office Lahore said all resources would be utilised to bring discipline on national highways and provide quality assistance to commuters.

He said there would be no compromise on providing timely and effective help to distressed travellers, especially during the summer and Ramazan. The DIG also laid stress on installing speed checking cameras at spots prone to accidents due to over-speeding.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2014