PESHAWAR: The federal government on Thursday removed Inspector General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Moazzam Jah Ansari and appointed a junior officer to head the provincial police force.

The replacement of the KP police chief takes place amid escalation of attacks by militant groups in the province.

A notification issued by the Establishment Division said: “With the approval of the federal government, Mr Mozzam Jah Ansari, Officer of Police Service of Pakistan, presently serving as Provincial Police Officer (PPO), Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is transferred and directed to report to Establishment Division, with immediate effect and until further orders.”

The division issued another notification for the appointment of Akhtar Hayat as the KP police chief. It said: “Mr Akhtar Hayat, a BS-21 officer of Police Service of Pakistan, presently serving in Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) under the interior division, is transferred and posted as Provincial Police Officer, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, under Section 10 of the Civil Servants Act, 1973, with immediate effect and until further orders.”

Section 10 of the Civil Servants Act empowers the federal government to assign a senior position to a comparatively junior officer.

Mr Ansari had been transferred from Frontier Constabulary and posted as KP police chief in June 2021.

Akhtar Hayat also served as regional police office in Malakand, Mardan, Kohat, Hazara and Gwadar. He had joined the police force as an assistant superintendent in 1994. He was the recipient of the Sword of Honour as the Best Graduate of his 18th Basic Course and also served as Senior ASP of the Course in 1995-96.

Mr Hayat has previously served as additional inspector general (AIG), counter-terrorism, in Balochistan, AIG Special Branch in KP, FIA zonal director in KP and additional director general at the agency’s headquarters Islamabad.

Apart from serving as RPO in different regions, he also served as DPO in Haripur, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Swat and Mansehra.

Malik Asad in Islamabad also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2023