KARACHI: Controversy over the transfer of Inspector General of Police A.D. Khowaja took a dramatic turn on Wednesday when he offered to leave his post, telling the Sindh High Court that doing his job had become increasingly difficult under the current circumstances.

Advocate Shahab Usto, appearing for the IGP, moved an application before a two-judge bench, requesting it to vacate its earlier order restraining Mr Khowaja’s removal and allow him to relinquish charge as the uncertainty surrounding his appointment was “increasingly telling on the morale and efficiency of the police force”.

Visibly displeased over the IGP’s move, the bench ordered Khowaja to continue his duties as the provincial police chief till further notice and adjourned the matter to Thursday (today) when Advocate General Zamir Ghumro would conclude his arguments.

The bench, headed by Justice Munib Akhtar, refused to let Mr Khowaja relinquish his post and sustained its stay on his removal till it deliberates the matter.

AG Ghumro submitted that the regular police, village police, Rangers and Railway police had been under the provincial domain since 1935. However, he said, the administrative control of the Rangers and Railway police was taken from the provinces and the village police system was abolished in 1973.

He stated that now only the regular police were under the authority of the province and the federation wanted to take away that authority from the province too. He said that the authority to appoint or remove the IGP rested with the province under the law.

Earlier, Mr Khowaja’s counsel told the judges that the uncertainty over the appointment of the IGP was increasingly telling on the morale and efficiency of the police force as the ranks and officers were showing the strains of having to adjust with the episodic removal and reinstatement of Mr Khowaja in these highly challenging times.

He said that in view of the circumstances, it would be in the best interest of police as an important public institution and public order, “that he should voluntarily step down and allow the competent authorities to resolve the issue of IGP’s appointment through mutual consensus, without further delay”.

He asked the court to remove Mr Khowaja’s name from the list of respondents in the applications and “allow him to formally approach the federal government to recall his services from the province of Sindh”.

Advocate Usto told the judges that even if the court decided the instant petitions/applications in favour of Mr Khowaja, it would still be difficult for him to run the office of the IGP smoothly and efficiently “without the active and continuous backing of the provincial government”.

He said: “However, for the last six months or so the IGP has found it increasingly difficult to discharge his day-to-day professional duties, or to accomplish the much-needed reforms in the provincial police, or even to effectively exercise his command over the force.”

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2017