HYDERABAD: While Sindh Inspector-General Ghulam Hyder Jamali’s plea to the Supreme Court for a review of its order regarding appointment of a three-member committee to look into illegal appointments is pending a ruling, initial evidence the committee has adduced shows that due process of recruitment in the Sindh Reserve Police (SRP), Hyderabad, was not followed.

Police sources confided to Dawn that the findings of a separate inquiry submitted in the apex court revealed that cost of investigation involving around Rs220 million was released to ‘favourite SSPs’.

The inquiry committee (on recruitment) comprises Additional IG (special branch) A.D. Khawaja, Additional IG (counterterrorism) Dr Sanaullah Abbasi and Additional IG Naeem Shaikh.

In a recent development learnt on Jan 29, IG Jamali has recommended repatriation of AIG Khawaja and AIG Abbasi to the foreign service and income tax, respectively, on the grounds that they don’t belong to the police cadre. The IG has also requested transfer of DIG (finance) Sultan Khawaja, who is one of the three members of the inquiry committee on payment of investigation cost.

The IGP’s recommendation letter read: “IGP has serious reservations over posting of [Sultan] Khawaja as his staff officer. He openly defies IGP in internal meetings and his conduct is unbecoming thus he should be transferred as DIG (finance).

“Recommendations are made with purpose which is to defeat back-to-back inquiries. Re-allocation of services group for these officers is a past transaction. IGP has nothing to do with it because it is neither induction nor deputation rather it is a 30-year-old matter which was decided once and for all in PML-N government.”

The recommendations, based on SC’s orders of 2011 and 2013, say that “during scrutiny of record it has been noticed that the two officers (A.D. Khawaja and Dr Sanaullah Abbasi) presently serving in police group got induction/absorption through change of cadre or change of occupational service group. SC’s disapproved appointments made against service rules especially due to political considerations.

“Their initial allotted occupational group was altered in disregard to merit ascertained through competitive exam recommendation of public service commission. Above-named officers continue to be in police group notwithstanding aforesaid judgements of apex court.

The matter may therefore be referred to Establishment Division for immediate repatriation of these officers to their original cadre or original occupational group in light of rules and judgements under reference,” read the Jan 29 letter addressed to the Additional CS (home) copies of which were addressed to the establishment division secretary and Sindh chief secretary.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2016