The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday extended its stay on the removal of Inspector General of Police (IGP) A.D. Khawaja from his post while asking for a copy of the decision made in this regard by the Sindh Cabinet.

The SHC had on Monday suspended the provincial government's notification for the removal of A.D. Khawaja, ordering him to immediately resume his duties as the provincial police chief.

The SHC had also suspended Additional IG Sardar Abdul Majeed Dasti's 'promotion' as the provincial police chief in Khawaja's place.

Following the court's orders, Dasti had relinquished the charge of acting IGP and vacated the office, a police spokesperson said.

"Though an official notification has not yet been issued, A.D. Khawaja has been asked to resume charge as IGP," he told Dawn.

A divisional bench of the high court, headed by Justice Muneeb Akhtar, had ordered Khawaja's reinstatement while it heard a petition filed by the Pakistan Institute of Labour, Education and Research's (PILER) chief, Karamat Ali.

In his petition, Ali had argued that the provincial government should be held in contempt of court as it had defied a previous high court-issued stay on Khawaja's removal.

During the hearing, the court asked the provincial advocate general (AG) under which law Khawaja was removed from his post.

The AG had said the IGP had been appointed under Clause 3 of the Police Act, and that the Sindh govt has the right to appoint an IGP of its own choosing.

However, he was silent when asked if the provincial cabinet had been taken into confidence before the notification for Khawaja's removal was issued.

All governmental powers can only be exercised through the cabinet, the court had told the AG.

The next day, the Sindh Cabinet in a meeting said it would back the decision to 'surrender' Khawaja's services to the federal government.

During the cabinet meeting, chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, the appointment of Dasti as Khawaja's replacement as provincial police chief was also approved.

The decisions were made after AG Sindh Zameer Ghumro briefed the cabinet regarding the ruling of the SHC on the matter.