KARACHI: The Establishment Division in Islamabad has transferred eight deputy inspectors general (DIGs) of Sindh, who were serving at important positions in the province, as per the new policy of rotation made by the federal government last year, it emerged on Wednesday.

Four of the eight DIGs have been transferred to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, three to Punjab while one has been transferred to Balochistan.

Two senior police officers, who wished not to be named, said that it was a ‘routine transfer’ as per the Rotation Policy of 2020, which stated that those officers who served in the province continuously for 10 years would be transferred.

The officers recalled that some DIGs from Sindh were already transferred in the first phase in recent past while second and third phase of the transfer was stalled as certain ‘transferred’ DIGs had approached the Sindh Hight Court. However, the matter was disposed of by the court.

The services of DIG Maqsood Ahmed, head of Special Security Unit (SSU), DIG-South Javed Akbar Riaz and DIG-Special Branch Naeem Ahmed Sheikh were given to Punjab; DIG-East Saqib Ismail Memon, DIG-CIA Noman Siddiqi, DIG Younis Chandio, who was serving as the director of the Federal Investigation Agency, and DIG Abdullah Sheikh were transferred to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while Counter-Terrorism Department DIG Omar Shahid Hamid was transferred to Balochistan.

As per the rotation policy, they would have to serve for two years in the province where they had been posted.

The notifications issued by the Establishment Division stated that “under Rotation Policy 2020 and as per its para 13, the officer cannot be posted in geographical limits of Government of Sindh for a period of two years from the date of joining at a station outside the geographical limits of Govt of Sindh”.

The services of eight DIGs from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been placed at the disposal of the Sindh government.

Similarly, four provincial secretaries, including Sindh Health Secretary Dr Kazim Jatoi and Planning and Development Board chairman Hasan Naqvi, have also been transferred from the province on identical grounds.

Meanwhile, sources said that none of the transferred officers had so far been relieved by the provincial government.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2021