PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa excise, taxation and narcotics control department on Friday suspended eight officials for hosting a TikToker from Rawalpindi at the narcotics police station on Sept 1.

Peshawar assistant excise and taxation officer Syed Naveed Jamal was suspended in the same case on Thursday with the department ordering an inquiry against him.

The Friday notification issued by the excise and taxation department said, “The services of additional SHO Peshawar Azlan Aslam, in charge special squad of narcotics control wing Lal Gul and constables, Abdanullah, Naeem Shah, Sajjad Ali, Shehryar, Ibrahim and Saifullah have been placed under suspension with an immediate effect on the basis of report appearing on social media in which unwarranted and unauthorised individuals were escorted by them and allowed to enter the premises of narcotics control wing of the department and brought a bad name to the NCW.”

It added that the names of those officials would be included in the inquiry ordered on Thursday.

Dept orders inquiry, seeks report in a week

The department appointed NCW director Salahuddin the inquiry officer and asked him to complete the task within a week.

The suspended officials hosted a TikToker from Rawalpindi on the NCW premises.

Pictures of the reception shared on social media showed the officers greet the TikToker and his friends and present them with bouquets.

In the pictures, the visitors were seen sit in the office of a suspended official and pose for photos.

There were also reports suggesting that the excise officers accompanied the TikToker to Darra Adamkhel area of Kohat district. A video posted on the TikToker’s account showed his car being showered with rose petals on entry to Darra Adamkhel.

A source told Dawn that the reception took place at the regional narcotics police station.

He said soon after the videos and pictures of the reception went viral, some police officials shared them on social media to ‘serve personal ends’.

The source said there was a tug of war like situation over narcotics control between the excise and police departments and a federal entity. He said a lack of discipline among government officials was upsetting.

When contacted, director general (excise) Saqib Raza Aslam said an AETO, an inspector and staff present with them at the police station had been suspended on the charge of providing escort to the TikToker and an inquiry had been launched against them.

He said the suspended officials violated the standard operating procedures and decorum, and misused authority.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2021