GUJRANWALA, Feb 1: A station house officer (SHO) was reprimanded by the returning officer here on Friday on a complaint filed by an independent candidate for the Punjab Assembly slot, Zuhair Zia, against manhandling and harassing his workers in Naushera Virkan by the police.

Zuhair, who is son of former Sindh inspector general of police Maj Ziaul Hasan (retired) made officer on special duty (OSD) a few days ago, is contesting for PP-101 against PML-Q’s Irfan Bashir Gujjar.

Zuhair complained that Naushera Virkan SHO Javed Ahmad Malhi misbehaved with his workers by manhandling them on the directives of his rival PML-Q candidate.

The returning officer summoned the SHO, who informed the court that he held four or five people wrapped up in shawls making their demeanour in all probability “dubious” under the prevailing security situation.

The returning officer, however, censured the SHO and directed DIG Khadim Husain Bhatti to launch an investigation into the incident and take appropriate action against the SHO if found guilty.

Javed Malhi is one of those SHOs who were recently transferred and posted allegedly on the directives of local PML-Q leaders despite a general ban imposed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on transfers of the issuance of election schedule but petitions challenging these transfers were rejected by the district returning officer. The petitioners, including PML-N and PPP candidates, were, however, told to approach the ECP to get their grievances redressed.

Zohair’s father Ziaul Hasan, who has been the inspector general of the Punjab Police and National Highway and Motorway Police, was allegedly under immense pressure by the former ruling party leadership after his son decided contesting the upcoming elections against a PML-Q aspirant.

Despite a ban on transfers by the ECP, Zia was removed from the coveted slot of inspector general of Sindh province recently and later made OSD allegedly on his failure to get his son retired in favour of PML-Q candidate despite he was persistently told to do so.