LAHORE: Additional IG (Training) retired Capt Muhammad Usman Khattak was assigned on Wednesday current charge of the post of the Inspector General of Punjab Police amidst reports that two of the three aspirants for the slot might be sent to Sindh and Balochistan.

There were also reports of the transfer of Sindh IG AD Khwaja to Punjab to resolve the controversy over the post there.

Mr Khattak was given the Punjab IG post on a current charge basis (stop gap arrangement) on the direction of the federal government for three months.

Official sources said the time period could be extended till the retirement of the officer in late October this year.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan nevertheless told reporters at the Civil Secretariat that a permanent IGP could be appointed in a week.

Official sources said Mr Khattak was temporarily given the post because he was the senior most officer. But actually, the federal government was unable to select an officer for the slot on a regular basis.

The federal government chose to ask for even the temporary appointment to tell other provinces, especially Sindh, which had sent IGP AD Khwaja packing, that it was the boss.

They said Additional IGs Amjad Saleemi and retired Capt Arif Nawaz and Lahore Capital City Police Officer retired Capt Amin Wains were the three aspirants (or nominees) for the post of the Punjab IGP.

They said one of the three aspirants might go to Sindh from where Mr AD Khwaja could be transferred to Punjab. One of the remaining two aspirants could also be appointed as Balochistan IGP upon the retirement of the sitting IG Ashan Mehboob in the next two to three months.

Mr Khattak has been serving as the Additional IGP (Training) for the last four years, and is due to retire from service in October this year. The Police Service of Pakistan’s 12th Common officer was born in 1957. He has served as Lahore DIG Traffic and SP in Dera Ghazi Khan, Toba Tek Singh and Narowal.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2017