LAHORE: The Daska by-poll debacle has thrown up a challenge for the Punjab police higher-ups to appoint new heads of Gujranwala and Sialkot police even after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued directions to fill the slots to hold fresh elections in the NA-75 constituency.

The government had removed Gujranwala RPO Riaz Nazir Gara and Sialkot DPO Hassan Asad Alvi after the Daska by-poll which was marred by violence and controversies. The Gujranwala division commissioner and the Sialkot deputy commissioner were among those who were made officer on special duty (OSD) on the same complaints.

An official said the Punjab police authorities were facing quite a challenge to convince the officers to accept the top slots as a majority of the officers were not willing to undertake such a ‘highly risky’ assignment. He said the senior officers were showing reluctance to present themselves for the vacant slots because of the government’s ‘uncalled for action’ against their colleagues.

Some of them were unwilling for the said assignments as they believed that the Punjab police commander (IGP) failed to plead the case of his former RPO and the DPO. The officer said that in the wake of the Daska by-election the wrath of the ECP rightly fell on junior officers when the presiding officer had gone missing and even on his return did not have any excuse.

The ECP had taken serious action at various other levels that later led to the suspension and removal of the DSP and assistant commissioner who were from provincial cadres.

Later, the Sialkot DC and DPO were not only transferred but also suspended unceremoniously.

Then Gujranwala RPO and commissioner were also shown the door and they were transferred despite the fact that they were successful in Wazirabad provincial assembly poll. Most interestingly, the chief secretary and the IGP were also summoned by the ECP to explain their respective positions.

The official said the role of the IGP was questionable particularly when Daska DSP Zulfiqar Virk who led the security matters in the NA-75 election was posted by him amid controversies and serious reservations of the opposition political party. The ECP showed its utter displeasure when it issued direction to transfer the DSP but his two separate transfer notifications surfaced just to save him. The IG office claimed that it had transferred DSP Zulfiqar Ali and brought in another officer but it later transpired that the officer was not transferred and it was just a deception.

It is also interesting to note that he was given charge by sending the DSP Daska on medical leave and amid hue and cry raised by the opposition political party. This act was neither done by the then RPO Gujranwala nor the DPO Sialkot but the office of provincial police officer whose role was not determined or announced by the ECP after he appeared before the commission along with the CS on March 4.

Punjab Police Headquarters DIG Shahzada Sultan confirmed to Dawn that no candidate against the vacant slots could be found and efforts were under way to have suitable officers. He said the Punjab IGP had made appointment of new DSPs for the Daska by-election.

Our Sialkot correspondent adds: ADC (Revenue) Mir Muhammad Nawaz assumed the additional charge of Sialkot deputy commissioner. He held meetings of different departments to know their progress.

The Punjab government gave him additional charge and issued a notification.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2021