LAHORE: The Punjab government has reportedly ‘retained’ the post of Rawalpindi regional police officer (RPO) for a period of five months or so for Babar Sarfraz Alpa, the officer holding the position, even after he joined the 124th National Management Course (NMC) scheduled at the National School of Public Policy, Lahore, from Jan 5 to May 8, 2026.

As per reports, Mr Apla had expressed his desire to the relevant authorities to retain the post of Rawalpindi RPO while he was attending the NMC, a favour rarely extended to a civil servant holding a senior field position in Punjab.

An officer privy to the development says that over 40 BS-20 officers from various services, including the the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) and the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), were nominated for the NMC from all over the country.

Using it as precedent, some other officers also made efforts and used their connections to get the immunity granted to the Rawalpindi RPO by the Punjab government. However, their hopes dashed when they were directed to quit their present posts, observe the civil service rules which prescribe disciplinary proceedings against those violating the mandatory procedures.Similarly, 118 BS-19 officers from different services were nominated from across the country to attend the Senior Management Course (SMC).

The officers opting for the course mandatory for promotion have to leave their posts

In an official letter, the Establishment Division (ED), Islamabad, stated that the nominated officers were required to report to the concerned offices of the National Institute of Public Administration(NIPA) in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar, by January 16, 2026.

From Punjab, some officers serving as district police officers (DPOs) were relieved of their respective charges before proceeding for the SMC. They included Sialkot DPO Faisal Shahzad, Toba Tek Singh DPO Abadat Nisar and Multan Chief Traffic Officer Kashif Aslam.

Sharing more details, the official said that while Mr Alpa is regularly attending the NMC in Lahore, the relevant authorities assigned the look-after charge of the Rawalpindi RPO office to City Police Officer (CPO) Khalid Mahmood Hamdani, a BS-19 officer, as a stopgap arrangement.

Some police officers are of the view that an officer, who is physically present in a city some 300 kilometres away from his posting station can’t justify his position as the Rawalpindi region is considered “highly sensitive” due to its proximity to the federal capital. Besides, the region is also managing Attock, a district bordering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Establishment Division communicated to the provincial governments and other relevant authorities the elaborate rules and the prime minister’s directive, to be followed strictly by the officers joining promotion courses.

“As per the prime minister’s directive, issued vide this division’s letter, all ministries/divisions/ departments are bound to relieve the officers on their selection for training course without fail,” reads the ED letter.

It says that the ministries, divisions and departments concerned shall make stopgap arrangements, as the nominated officers were not required to attend their offices while undergoing the training.

“Non-compliance of the directions of the prime minister can attract disciplinary proceedings under the Government Servants (E&D) Rules, 2020,” the letter warns.

The official source says that the government has violated the above-mentioned rules and the PM’s directive to the extent of the Rawalpindi RPO, terming it a case of a selective approach to accommodate a police officer.

Dawn texted a message to Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari to get the government’s version on the issue and waited for three days for her response, which hasnot been received yet.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2026