ISLAMABAD: The interior ministry and its state minister have nominated two different officials to the office of senior superintendent of police (SSP) operations Islamabad.

Officials said State Minister for Interior Shehryar Afridi has ordered the immediate regularisation of SSP Mohammad Amin Bukhari as SSP operations, a post he has held additional charge of since Sept 25.

However, the interior ministry has requested Dr Mian Saeed Ahmed from the Establishment Division, as demanded by the Islamabad police.

They said Dr Ahmed appeared reluctant to accept the appointment, and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government – with which Dr Ahmed was working – also refused to hand over his service to the capital.

Dr Ahmed has been working for the KP police as a personal staff officer to the chief minister, the officials said. The KP government told the Establishment Division that it would not transfer him from the KP police.

Meanwhile, Mr Afridi on Wednesday asked the Establishment Division to regularise SSP Bukhari as SSP operations. Mr Bukhari has been working for the Islamabad police as SSP Counter-Terrorism Force (CTF) and was given additional charge of SSP operations last month.

In a letter addressed to the establishment secretary, Mr Afridi said Syed Mohammad Amin Bukhari, Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) BPS-19, who is currently posted in the Islamabad police as SSP has additional charge of SSP operations. It asked that his regular notification as SSP operations be issued immediately.

The interior ministry has also approached the Establishment Division and requested Dr Mian Saeed Ahmed for the post.

A letter from the Islamabad Capital Territory-I (ICT) section officer to the Establishment Division section officer E-3 police Islamabad stated that the Ministry of Interior intends to utilise the services of Mr Ahmed for the post of SSP operations Islamabad.

It asked that the services of the officer may be placed at the disposal of the minister for posting in the Islamabad police.

Officials in the ministry and in the police said that then-SSP operations Najeebur Rehman Bugvi was posted out of the Islamabad police on Aug 30 and his service was handed over to the Punjab police.

He was wanted as team member by former inspector general of police (IGP) Nasir Khan Durrani to work on police reform. However, Mr Bugvi had asked to continue his duty with the Islamabad police as Defence Day and Ashura were ahead.

On Sept 7, Dr Ahmed was requested as the next SSP operations, and the office of the IGP asked the Islamabad chief commissioner to proceed further.

The ministry was approached by the chief commissioner’s office, but nothing further has been done in this matter, the officials said. It did not proceed as Dr Ahmed appears unwilling to take the post of SSP operations Islamabad.

A day after Mr Bugvi relinquished the charge on Sept 24, officials said, Mr Bukhari was given additional charge as SSP operations.

There are 10 SSP posts in the Islamabad police, most of which are filled, they said. The SSP crime investigation department post is without an officer, while the CTF SSP has been given charge as SSP operations.

The eight SSPs in the police are from the 28th Common Training Programme (CTP) to the 35th.

The officials believed that there was lack of coordination between the ministry and the state minister over the appointment of SSP operations. Besides, the senior police officials in Islamabad preferred an officer of BPS-19 from a junior batch for the post of SSP operations.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2018