Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Superintendent of Police (SP) Asim Iftikhar was transferred on Friday to the post of Punjab Traffic Headquarters SP, a notification issued from the office of Punjab Inspector General of Police Inam Ghani said.

The notification added that Iftikhar will be replaced with Tariq Aziz, currently the Punjab Traffic police Headquarters SP. The notification, dated October 16, did not mention the reason behind the transfer, which is effective immediately.

The development comes a day after Lahore Capital City Police Officer Umar Sheikh issued arrest warrants for Iftikhar following a "heated argument" during an official meeting called in the wee hours at the Safe City Authority headquarters. The warrants were later withdrawn on the intervention of Sheikh's senior colleagues.

According to sources, the CCPO reportedly lost his temper during the meeting and directed Civil Lines SP to lodge a case against his colleague Asim Iftikhar under section 155 (C) of the Police Order 2002. Senior police officers present in the meeting intervened at that point and mediated between the two senior officers.

Sheikh, however, forced the CIA SP to leave the meeting venue, saying his services were no more required for Lahore police.

According to an official privy to the information, the incident has alarmed other divisional SPs and officers working under the command of the CCPO because of his "aggressive attitude".

He said the main concern of the officers was that Sheikh had started treating senior police officers like his junior subordinates, against whom he had been taking "unwarranted" punitive steps, getting as many as 10 of them booked or arrested, since he assumed Lahore CCPO’s charge.

CCPO's controversies

This is not the first time Sheikh has been involved in a controversy involving his colleagues. Last month, former IGP Shoaib Dastagir had refused to work after Sheikh was appointed as Lahore CCPO without the senior official's input. Dastagir was subsequently replaced by Ghani.

Another reason that is said to have prompted Dastagir to take this step was some comments the CCPO had allegedly passed while talking to a few police officers on his first day in office.

Separately, a former station house officer (SHO) of Gujjarpura police station had accused Lahore CCPO of using abusive language against him over an official matter. The CCPO had not only suspended the SHO from service, but also had him arrested.

However, he was later granted bail by a court after which he moved sessions court that asked the IGP to conduct a probe into the matter that was pending decision.