LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to transfer DIG Investigation Shahzada Sultan over his alleged differences with Capital City Police Officer Umar Sheikh on various administrative issues.

Mr Sultan is the fourth senior police officer of the provincial capital who is going to be transferred since Umar Sheikh assumed his charge as Lahore CCPO.

Earlier, former Inspector General of Police Shoaib Dastagir was removed from his post following his differences with Mr Sheikh and the issue had hit the headlines.

In the fresh case, differences started between DIG Investigation Shahzada Sultan and the CCPO when the latter showed his utter displeasure on the performance of the former. A senior police officer said the CCPO was feeling himself uncomfortable with Mr Sultan “for not taking interest in the investigation wing he is heading.”

He said the DIG was not giving proper time to his department and this particular issue widened the differences between the two.

The officer further said Shahzada Sultan was among those 50 police officers who had held a meeting in the Central Police Office in September last against Umar Sheikh’s posting as CCPO Lahore. He said the DIG investigation was one of the fierce critics of the CCPO when a joint declaration was signed.

Since then both of them had not been enjoying good terms, he said, adding that the Lahore CCPO recently conveyed his strong reservations to the higher authorities demanding his transfer and replacement by what he said a professional police officer.

The police officer said the CCPO’s move of sending some police officials of investigation wing behind the bars after registration of cases against them also irritated Shahzada Sultan who had declared these steps unwarranted. He said IGP Inam Ghani had sent a summary of appointment of BS 20 officer Shariq Jamal to Chief Minister Usman Buzdar for his appointment as new DIG Investigation.

Shariq Jamal who is currently posted as DIG telecommunication Punjab would be assuming his first field posting in Punjab.

The officer said the IGP also sent another proposal requesting the authorities to transfer Shahzada Sultan and appoint him commandant police training Chuhng.

Meanwhile, there were also rumours about transfer of the RPOs of Sheikhupura and Gujranwala and the CPO Multan.

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2020