DERA GHAZI KHAN: The assistant commissioner of Kot Chhutta has been suspended from service over allegations of inefficiency and misconduct, after he tied the pushcart vendors with ropes and publicly humiliated them.

An official notification issued by the Services & General Administration Department (S&GAD) states that the suspension had been enacted under Section 6 of the PEEDA Act 2006.

Following the suspension, the notification directs Zulfiqar Ali Khan to report to the Administration Wing of the Services & General Administration Department.

The decision follows the Feb 21 incident in which citizens were maltreated by the officer.

Dera Ghazi Khan Deputy Commissioner Usman Khalid was instructed to prepare a charge sheet to provide details of the allegations. The DC formed a committee to investigate the matter and the suspension order was issued based on his findings of the committee’s report.

The committee’s report highlighted deficiencies in AC Zulfiqar Ali Khan’s behaviour and administrative decisions.

Zulfiqar Ali Khan, an officer of the PMS, was appointed as the AC of Kot Chhutta in December 2025. His previous activities included actions against violations of the Ramazan Ordinance, meetings with traders, and other administrative duties, which had been reported in the media from time to time. However, it is the recent incident and subsequent public complaints that have led to this suspension. The officer, on charges under the Ehtram-e-Ramazan law, had tied the pushcart vendors with ropes, made them stand on the loader-rickshaws used for waste collection and moved them across the city for public humiliation.

The action against the AC is viewed as part of the Punjab government’s policy of strict monitoring of officers’ performance and responsiveness to public grievances.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2026