RAWALPINDI: The Punjab chief minister has sought data regarding police inspectors, sub-inspectors, trainee sub-inspectors, assistant sub-inspectors and trainee assistant sub-inspectors in the Punjab police department.

According to sources, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar wrote a letter to Inspector General of Police (IGP) Amjad Javed Saleemi directing him to provide district-wise data of police officials in a week.

However, the purpose of the move has not been made clear.

The IGP has directed the divisional police chiefs and district police chiefs to collect the information via a form which asks for the officials’ name, father’s name, belt number, date of birth, date of joining the police department, date of recruitment, domicile district and date of posting in the present district.

The Chief Minister’s Office has sought details of sanctioned strength, available strength and vacant posts in the various divisions.

“The Punjab chief minister has sought data of police officials but we do not know what the purpose of seeking the details is, especially when the police establishment branch has all required details including sanctioned strength and the number of vacant posts,” a senior police official said.

There are 100 inspectors, 400 sub-inspectors and about 700 assistant sub-inspectors in the police department in Rawalpindi division. The Rawalpindi City Traffic Police are already faced with a shortage of staff as 860 traffic wardens have been regulating traffic when the sanctioned strength for wardens has been 1,320 since the force was launched in 2007 in Rawalpindi.

The PTI government has been trying to bring reforms in the Punjab police as were brought about in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A top level committee consisting of Inspector General of Police Punjab Amjad Javed Saleemi and other senior government officials was formed by the prime minister.

The premier had directed the police reform committee to devise recommendations to change police culture.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2019