JUDGING by recent events, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s long-held assertions about upholding the independence of law-enforcement agencies appear increasingly unconvincing.

On Saturday, the government abruptly announced the transfer of the Islamabad IGP, retired Lt Jan Mohammad, without assigning any reason.

The impression of arbitrariness was compounded by the fact that the notification was issued while the senior official was on ex-Pakistan leave to attend a course in Malaysia.

Conflicting reports about the reasons for the transfer, and information that it had been effected on the verbal orders of Mr Khan, prompted the Supreme Court on Monday to suspend the notification. Chief Justice Saqib Nisar indicated he may constitute a fact-finding committee to get to the bottom of the issue, something that the government will certainly not relish.

The findings of a similar exercise in the case of the dismissal in August of the DPO Pakpattan had left the government red-faced, with the Punjab chief minister and former IGP Punjab having to tender unconditional apologies to the court for their role in the fiasco. That, it turned out, was only the first of several controversial police transfers.

Unhindered exercise of executive authority is the government’s right, one that is critical to its smooth functioning, and Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry yesterday vigorously defended the prime minister’s power to transfer police officials.

However, executive actions must be transparent, based on reasoning that can withstand public scrutiny and follow due process.

When the government’s actions are contrary to these fundamental requirements, it can reasonably expect to be accused of capriciousness or, even worse, of abusing its powers. Where law and order is concerned, the PTI has always correctly held that depoliticisation is key to improving the performance of the police and strengthening the institution.

As illustrated by the Sindh government’s repeated attempts — thwarted by the Supreme Court — to remove former provincial IGP A.D. Khowaja, there can be entirely self-serving reasons for the state wanting to see the back of some police officials.

In 2015, the PML-N government dismissed Islamabad SSP Nekokara from service for his reluctance to use violence against participants at the PTI-PAT dharna the previous year, a politically motivated reprisal denounced by the PTI.

Indeed, the party has touted police reforms in KP as one of the stellar achievements, the veritable jewel in the crown, of its previous government in the province. Even many detractors concede that it succeeded on this front.

Why then is the PTI-led federal government appearing to succumb to the very temptations it had abjured earlier? The resignation in October of former KP IGP Nasir Durrani, the architect of the KP police reforms who had been tasked with replicating the same in Punjab, was in itself very telling.

It is difficult to avoid the perception that the PTI’s actions are compromising a key pillar of the better, more accountable government it had promised.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2018