LAHORE: The ‘premature’ transfer/posting of senior officials during the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf dispensation on lame excuses has made mockery of ‘security of tenure’ under the Police Order 2002.

Late on Sunday, the Punjab government made two senior officials officers on special duty (OSDs) and this time the reason was said to be a ‘security lapse’.

DIG-ranked (BS-20) police officer Mehboob Rashid Mian, working as Multan City Police Officer (CPO), and Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Amir Khattak were asked to report to the Services & General Administration department for ‘further order’.

“The decision was so abrupt that none of them was apprised about the reason for making them OSDs,” an official privy to the information told Dawn. The two came to know about the ‘real story’ behind the move after issuance of notifications of their transfers.

‘Security of tenure under PTI has become a pipe dream’

They were apprised that they had earned the ‘wrath’ of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar during his visit to his relatives in Multan where he had to face ‘embarrassment’ due to a protest by some people outside a housing society where he was present at that time.

The official said the protesters had come from Muzaffargarh and were staging a demonstration there following a land dispute between two stepbrothers.

One of the two parties had blamed the local district administration of Muzaffargarh for not giving them a sympathetic hearing. The official said the protesters almost blocked the passage.

Though the motorcade of the chief minister managed to make its way safely, the CM reportedly showed his displeasure and declared it a security lapse on the part of the police and the district officers, directing the chief secretary to take action against the Multan CPO and DC.

The official also linked transfer of Mehboob Rashid Mian with another incident that occurred some two months back when he, as the Multan CPO, ordered registration of a murder case against some officials of a local housing society.

One of the arrested ‘suspects’ was close to the political elite of the Punjab government and Mian was directed to release him (the suspect) as he had nothing to do with the alleged murder.

The CPO was accordingly conveyed about the displeasure from the political elite and since then he was ‘under observation’.Police circles lamented that the Punjab government had made two officials OSDs on the issue of security lapse, a reason yet to be defined in the law.

They said the transfer of five inspectors general of police (IGPs), Lahore police chiefs, and repatriation of too many officers from the province to other regions of the country had already demoralised their colleagues in Punjab.

MULTAN: The protesters led by Khadim Hussain told media that Allah Wasaya and his brother had occupied their land but police were helpless due to their political connections.

Sources said the CM had also directed the Inspector General of Police to hold an inquiry over the leak of information of his movement.

(Shakeel Ahmed from Multan also contributed to this report)

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2021