The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday suspended a notification for the appointment of Punjab’s acting inspector-general of police retired Capt Usman Khattak as the permanent IGP of the province over violation of court orders.

The court expressed its anger that the Punjab government had appointed Khattak as the permanent IGP even though he is due to retire in a little over three months.

LHC Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah took up the petition seeking appointment of a permanent IGP and implementation of the Police Order 2002.

On the previous hearing, the chief justice had given the government third and the last deadline to do the needful.

Lawyer Saad Rasool had filed the public interest petition on behalf of Mohammad Razzaq questioning non-composition of the public safety commission for the appointment of police officers, including IGP, in compliance with the Police Order.

The petitioner said that Khattak was appointed permanent IG despite the public safety commission being non-functional. The commission's approval is necessary for the appointment of IGP Punjab, he contended.

Under the Constitution and law, the acting IG cannot be appointed permanent police chief of the province, he said.

However, Punjab government's lawyer told the court that after promulgation of an amendment by the provincial governor, the recommendation of National Public Safety Commission was no longer required for the IGP's appointment.

He said the Punjab government had appointed acting IG Khattak as the permanent IG. The new IG has three months and a few days left in his tenure, he said.

At this, the chief justice expressed his anger, saying that the government appears to be taking the court frivolously.

He said under the law, the employment of IG Punjab should last three years and the provincial government prime facie had committed contempt of court by appointing a permanent IG who is due to retire in three months.

Justice Shah asked the Punjab government to inform the court why the provincial government did not consult the federal government before appointing the IG Punjab.

The court adjourned the hearing till July 26 after suspending the notification for the appointment of Khattak as permanent IG.

The federal government had appointed Additional Inspector General Training Usman Khattak as acting IG on April 12 after the retirement of Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera.

He was appointed Provincial Police Officer (PPO aka IGP) on Monday, a day before the expiry of third deadline given by the LHC to the government to fill the office with a regular incumbent.

Khattak was to reach superannuation on November 1, 2017.

Sources told Dawn a number of senior policemen have been under consideration for the IG slot but the government delayed the decision probably due to preoccupation in the Panama case.

Among the probables were former Islamabad IG Tariq Masood Yaseen (17th Common), Additional IG and Lahore CCPO Amin Wains (16th Common), Additional IG Amjad Javed Saleemi (14th Common), Additional IG Arif Nawaz (14th Common) and Special Branch Additional IG Faisal Shahkar.