LAHORE: Chief Minister Parvez Elahi and Inspector General of Police Faisal Shahkar have allegedly developed differences over appointment of regional and district police officers. CM’s spokesperson Fayyazul Hassan Chohan denied any differences and said it was a propaganda.

A senior police officer, on the condition of anonymity, told Dawn that Law and Order SSP Ali Zia sent a list of RPOs, DPOs, DIGs, SSPs, SPs and other policemen to the IGP for appointment. The list was prepared on the direction of CM Elahi, he said, but the IGP rejected the proposal of appointments and removal of the officers and low-ranking policemen.

Sources claimed all officers’ names included in the list for appointments and assigning postings were not accepted by the IGP. The IGP, they said, refused to appoint officers having bad reputation.

IGP Shahkar was not available for a comment.

Chohan said transfers and postings of the policemen was a routine matter and described it as media sensation. He said the news regarding differences between the CM and the IGP was baseless and fabricated.

“We condemn making personal whim a piece of news,” he said and asserted that facts had been distorted in the contents of the news. The postings and transfers of police and administrative officers was a normal process and the contents of the news had nothing to do with facts, he reiterated.

He said the chief minister had directed that transfers and postings should be done on merit.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2022