SIALKOT: The Punjab government has suspended Daska Assistant Commissioner Asif Hussain Mehdi and two deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) from service following the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) orders.

The ECP had ordered removal of the officers on Feb 24 in its verdict on Daska National Assembly constituency NA-75 by-polls, after PML-N complaints regarding “kidnapping” of 20 presiding officers and other staff and tampering with the results, demanding re-polling.

The ECP had also ordered suspension from service of Sialkot Deputy Commissioner Zeeshan Javaid Lashari, District Police Officer (DPO) Hassan Asad Alvi, besides DSPs of Daska and Sambrial Ramzan Kamboh and Zulfiqar Virk, respectively, for their poor performance in holding Feb 18 by-polls in Daska, resulting in law and order situation and murder of two political workers.

The commission had also ordered transfer of Gujranwala commissioner and regional police officer.

However, both the DC and DPO were not yet suspended from the service, nor the commissioner and RPO transfered, said the district administration officials.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2021