LAHORE: Following a week-long controversy, Additional Inspector General of Police Ghulam Mahmood Dogar finally managed to get relief from the Federal Service Tribunal (FST), Islamabad, that allowed the officer to retain the Lahore capital city police officer (CCPO) post on Friday.

The FST has suspended the notification of the Establishment Division (ED), Islamabad, regarding the transfer of the Lahore police chief.

Mr Dogar had filed an appeal before the tribunal a few days after the Lahore High Court dismissed his plea against his transfer and a suspension orders later issued by the ED, declaring it not maintainable.

Dogar had pointed out certain legal and administrative loopholes in the ED’s notifications regarding his transfer and suspension, requesting the FST to take notice of the violations of the Civil Service rules by the division.

The police officer, through his counsel, argued that his appeal against the transfer order was pending with the relevant authority and the ED might be refrained from taking any other departmental action against him till the decision of his appeal.

ED had withdrawn the services of Dogar soon after a terrorism case was lodged against two senior leaders of the PML-N in Lahore.

Later, the issue was highlighted in social media when the Punjab government refused to follow the ED’s order, declaring it an attempt to interfere in the administrative powers of the provincial authorities.

The ED then issued a reminder, and later warned the officer in the third and final letter of major punishment for non-compliance of the earlier directions of the division.

A few days back, the ED suspended Dogar from service and also announced that proceedings of dismissal from service would be initiated against him.After receiving a copy of the FST’s decision, Dogar resumed his duty and called a meeting of the senior police officers of the city on Friday.

A spokesperson for the Lahore police said CCPO Dogar presided over a meeting at his office to review law and order and crime control.

He said Operations DIG Afzaal Ahmad Kausar, Security DIG Mehboob Rasheed, Investigation DIG Athar Ismael, Lahore CTO Dr Asad Ejaz, and other senior officers attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2022