ISLAMABAD: The Establishment Division on Thursday suspended the Sialkot deputy commissioner (DC) and district police officer (DPO) over negligence in maintaining order during the NA-75 by-election.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Feb 25 declared the NA-75 Sialkot-IV (Daska) election after finding that presiding officers of some polling stations tempered with the results.

Earlier, they disappeared along with the ballot papers in the foggy night of Feb 19 and re-emerged with the results which the ECP termed as tempered with.

ECP declared the elections as void on the complaint of the PML-N’s candidate Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar and ordered reelection on March 18.

Besides, the ECP ordered removal and posting of Commissioner and Regional Police Officer (RPO) Gujranwala Division from the station.

The commission also directed the Establishment Division to suspend the Sialkot Deputy Commissioner Zeeshan Javed Lashari, DPO Hassan Asad Alvi and Daska Assistant Commissioner Asif Hussain.

The Punjab government has already removed the Gujranwala’s commissioner Gulzar Hussain and RPO Riaz Nazir Gara and suspended Assistant Commissioner Hussain, Sambrial and Daska DSPs Zulfiqar Ali Virk and Mohammad Ramzan Kamboh.

The Establishment Division on Thursday placed both BS-19 officers Zeeshan Javed Lashari of Pakistan Administrative Service and Hassan Asad Alvi of Police Service of Pakistan under suspension until further orders.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2021