RAWALPINDI: As many as 105 personnel of the Punjab Highway Patrol (PHP) were relocated across the province for three months as a consequence of skipping special duty between May 9 and May 11 to assist the police in maintaining law and order.

When paramilitary forces and police were on alert in the streets of major cities on May 9 and the day after because of violent protests by PTI supporters who attacked military headquarters and other establishments and public property over the arrest of PTI chairman Imran Khan. However, several police officials reportedly avoided joining duty, violating the force’s discipline; of the 105 PHP personnel, 16 belong to Rawalpindi region.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Punjab Highway Patrol Dr Mohammad Akhtar Waheed issued a directive to all regional officers in PHP Punjab with directions to supervise their attendance/performance as well as furnish their transfer and posting record, departmental proceedings to their parent region for updation of HRMIS record.

All the 105 PHP officers and officials who were punished for skipping special duty were directed to report to their new place of posting within 24 hours.

“Following officers / officials are hereby transferred on punishment basis from their parent regions to the regions as mentioned against each with immediate effect for the period of three months.

“Among the 105 personnel who were relocated across the province include those between the ranks of constable to assistant sub-inspector, sub-inspector, head constable and junior patrolling officers (JPOs),” the directive stated.

When contacted, PHP Deputy Inspector General of Police Dr Athar Waheed told Dawn that 105 police officials who did not join their special duty and remained absent without any intimation during May 9 and May 11, were relocated across the province for a period of three months.

“As many as four PHP personnel are still absent from duty and they have been served show cause notices, however, nobody has been dismissed from service so far,” said the DIG.

He added that the police force is a discipline force, therefore, nobody is allowed to violate discipline.

Another police official who requested anonymity said that they were assigned special duty on May 9and May 11, regarding law-and-order situations and they were deployed on different points to control protesters. During a violent protest, several of their colleagues were injured.

Among the 105 police personnel, 16 who belonged to Rawalpindi region are Mohammad Aamir, Ehsan Mehmood, Umer Farooq, Syed Imran Haider, Adeel Ahmed, Kamran Asghar, M. Junaid Khan, Mudassar Hussain, Mohammad Zubair, Zahid Mehmood, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chaudhry Sardar Ali Khan, Mohammad Asif, Jamshaid Khan, Tipu Sultan, Abdul Hameed, Ali Usman, Shaukat Ali, Bahadur Ali Maher, and Mohammad Zaheer Afzal.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2023