LAHORE: The Punjab government finds it difficult to build a new police team for the provincial capital as another BS-20 officer has been transferred.

The government has transferred DIG Operations Dr Abid Raja and posted him as Gujranwala RPO vice Imran Ahmar who has been directed to report to the Services and General Administration Department.

Mr Abid is the second senior police officer after Shahzada Sultan who was transferred from Lahore when Capital City Police Officer Bilal Siddique Kamyana conveyed to the Punjab government that he wanted to build his new team for the provincial capital.

Shahzada Sultan was serving as DIG Investigation and has joined national senior management course, leaving the important slot vacant a few days back.

An official told Dawn that many police officers serving in Lahore began efforts to get themselves transferred when they came to know the new police chief wanted his own team. Most of the officers were posted on the recommendations of Fayyaz Dev and in consultation with IG Rao Sardar Ali Khan.

The official said the CCPO visited the chief minister secretariat twice with a request to provide him police officers of his choice. He said Mr Kamayna proposed name of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab DIG Afzaal Kausar for his posting as DIG Operations but he refused to serve under him (Kamyana) due to “personal reasons”.

Later, Mr Kamyana proposed the name of DG Khan RPO Waqas Nazir as DIG Operations but he was also reluctant.

The official said the IGP was conveyed that it would not be a wise decision to make appointment of an RPO against a junior position in Lahore. Mr Waqas Nazir also was not interested for the slot in question as he had already served as DIG Operations in 2019, he said. The Punjab government was considering the name of DIG Sohail Akthar Sukhera for the other slot. Mr Sukhera was also offered posting as DIG Operations but he refused, the official said. He was recently transferred from Sindh to Punjab along with some other police officers.

He said Dr Inam Waheed wanted to be posted as Sheikhpura RPO. He had served as RPO in 2021.

The official said the Punjab government also transferred AIG (Training) Ali Nasir Rizvi and posted him as Faisalabad SSP (Operations) vice Ghulam Mubashar Maken who has been directed to report to the CPO.

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2022