LAHORE: Punjab Inspector General of Police Inam Ghani posted two superintendents of police (SPs) back in the provincial capital, who were ‘expelled’ from the city following ‘conflict’ with the then Lahore Capital City Police Officer Umar Sheikh.

Another SP who was posted in Lahore on the ‘recommendation’ of Mr Sheikh has been transferred to Gujranwala.

In a province-wide reshuffle, the IGP Punjab also transferred and posted an additional inspector general of police and 12 other SPs.

Internal Accountability Branch Additional IG Ghulam Rasool Zahid (BS-21) has been transferred and posted as commandant of the Police College Sihala against a vacant post.

Ex-CCPO’s move reversed

According to a notification issued in this respect, the post of commandant shall remain upgraded to BS-21 as personal to him.

An official privy to the information said that Mr Zahid had requested to the IGP for his posting close to his residence in Rawalpindi region as he wanted to look after some of his family matters.

About background stories of Monday’s reshuffle, he said an incident of ‘a clash’ between Asim Iftikhar during his posting as SP Lahore Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) and the then CCPO Lahore came to the limelight and made headlines in the mainstream media.

Both sides had exchanged heated arguments during a meeting held at the Punjab Safe City Authority in the wee hours in mid October.

During the meeting, Sheikh had issued order for the arrest of Asim Iftikhar and later proposed to the IGP to place him under suspension “for not obeying his order in letter and spirit” or expel him from the province.

Following the issue, the IGP had transferred Mr Iftikhar and posted him as Punjab traffic headquarters SP.

Similarly, the IG had also transferred the then Lahore City (Operations) SP Tasawar Iqbal on the recommendations of the then CCPO Sheikh and posted him in Gujrawanal.

After the transfer of Mr Sheikh from Lahore, the IGP was being suggested by some senior police officers to bring back the two officers (Mr Iftikhar and Mr Iqbal) back to Lahore.

They managed to convince Mr Ghani that the then CCPO had “victimised” many police officers, including the two SPs, he said.

As a result, the IGP on Monday transferred and posted Mr Iftikhar as Model Town division investigation SP. The post had fallen vacant after the transfer of Bilal Qayyum, who was said to be a favourite of Mr Sheikh and was recommended for the Model Town investigation SP slot by the then Lahore CCPO.

After the transfer of Mr Sheikh, the officer said, Mr Qayyum was among the three SPs who were immediately transferred, he said.Similarly, Tasawar Iqbal has been transferred from Gujranwala and posted as Iqbal Town (Lahore) Operations SP vice retired Capt Mohammad Ajmal, who has been transferred and posted as SP investigation, Lahore Cantonment SP vice Mohammad Arshad Zahid.

Mr Zahid has been transferred and posted as Faisalabad Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) SSP vice Imran Ahmed Malik, who has been transferred and posted as Lahore security SP.

The Lahore Security SP Sardar Mavarhan was transferred and posted as Lahore headquarters SP against an existing vacancy.

Mohammad Afzal who was awaiting posting has been transferred and posted as Faisalabad Operations SSP against an existing vacancy.

Lahore SP security-II Mohammad Tahir Maqsood has been transferred and posted as Iqbal Town investigation SP vice Abdul Wahab, who was transferred and posted as Gujranwala Sadar Division SP.

Shahzad Hameed, who was awaiting posting, has been posted as Lahore SP Security-II.

Farooqabad Police Training School SP Ahmad Nawaz Cheema has been transferred and posted as SP investigation-I, investigation branch, Punjab, against an existing vacancy. Assistant Inspector General (monitoring and crime analysis), investigation branch, Punjab, Asad Muzafar, has been posted as SP investigation-II, investigation branch, Punjab.

Ghulfam Nasir has been posted as regional investigation branch Faisalabad SSP against an existing vacancy.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2021