The Sindh High Court on Wednesday restrained the Sindh government from sending provincial Inspector General of Police (IGP) A.D. Khowaja on leave.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah issued the order on a petition filed by Karamat Ali, the head of an NGO, activist Shehzad Roy and five others.

The court issued notices to the IGP and the Sindh government, asking them to file their responses by the next hearing. The hearing was subsequently adjourned till Jan 12.

The petition said IGP Khowaja is recognised for developing a transparent and merit based system for recruitments within the police.

The IGP was sent on a 'forced leave' on Dec 19 because the Sindh government was "unhappy" with him over several issues relating to the recruitment of constables and suspension of police officers, it said.

"It is... obvious that... decision against A.D. Khawoja is unjustified, arbitrary and contrary to the norms of good governance and justice."

The petitioners prayed to the court to prevent Sindh government from taking any adverse action against the IGP "including but not limited to sending him on forced leave, his removal/transfer etc., except in accordance with the Police Order, 2002".

Sources earlier told Dawn that the top PPP leadership was not happy with the IGP over many issues, including recruitment of 20,000 constables in the police department, suspension of a recalcitrant police officer and then after his reinstatement not giving him the posting he wanted and his action against those harassing sugar-cane growers in the interior of Sindh.

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They said that the IGP had refused to accept what he considered the illegal demands of the people close to the ruling party on many matters, and, therefore, the top PPP leadership in a recent meeting held in Dubai decided to send him on 'forced' leave.

However, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah maintained that the police chief was not sent on a forced leave but he himself has gone on a 15-day leave.

“All I can say is that I am on leave,” IGP Khowaja had told Dawn in his brief response.

A.D. Khowaja's rift with Sindh govt

Khowaja was appointed IGP, Sindh, on March 12, this year after the government removed then police chief Ghulam Hyder Jamali.

In his over nine-month tenure, Khowaja tried his best to bring improvement in the police department, but he gradually went out of favour with the ruling party as soon as he refused to entertain certain “requests”, the sources had told Dawn.

When vacancies in the police department were announced, he formed a committee also comprising representatives of the army’s V Corps and the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee to ensure merit in the recruitment process. This step irked the members of the ruling party who wanted their share in the police recruitment in order to appease their voters ahead of the next general elections.

The sources said Khowaja also earned the top PPP leadership’s ire over the issue of recalcitrant SSP Rao Anwar. The officer was suspended for arresting Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Khwaja Izhar-ul-Hasan. Later, his suspension was lifted but still he did not get the post of SSP-Malir although the powerful political elements wanted the IGP to reinstate him to his previous post.

He had been in hot waters after he refused to accept the demand of an influential man, said to be linked with the powerful sugar millers lobby, who was reportedly misusing the police for getting sugar cane supplies for his mills and the IGP ordered the official concerned to stop this practice.

Meanwhile, Karachi police chief Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar, also a grade-21 police officer, was given additional charge of the IGP, Sindh.

Sardar Abdul Majeed appointed AIG

A notification issued by the Sindh government on Wednesday said Sardar Abdul Majeed, an officer of Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) awaiting posting, has been appointed Additional Inspector General (AIG), Research, Development, Inspections and Enquiries, Karachi relieving acting IG Mushtaq Mahar of the additional charge.