GUJRAT, April 25: Gujranwala Regional Police Officer Zulfiqar Cheema has suspended from service 17 ‘corrupt and negligent’ station house officers (SHOs) in Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin districts.

Cheema has suspended nine SHOs in Gujrat district and eight others in Mandi Bahauddin district. Of those suspended in Gujrat are Nasir Cheema of Lorry Adda Police Station, Nasir Butt of Civil Lines Police Station, Ghulam Sarwar Gondal of Karianwala Police Station, Zulfiqar Wariya of Saddar Police Station, Mian Abbas of Saddar Police Station (Kharian), Raja Younis of Dinga Police Station, Shaukat Ali of Kunjah Police Station, Arif Gondal of Guliana Police Station and Iqbal Gujjar of City Police Station (Sara-i-Alamgeer).

Of those suspended in Mandi Bahauddin are Mohammad Islam of Pahrianwali Police Station, Nasrullah Warraich of Kathiala Shiekhan Police Station, Sajjad Rashid of City Police Station, Mohammad Sharif of Civil Lines Police Station, Ijaz Ahmed of Malakwal Police Station, Hasnat Shah of Qadirabad Police Station, Riaz Ahmed of Phalia Police Station and Mohammad Nawaz of Raumal Sharif Police Station.

Cheema has also ordered an inquiry into SHO Nasir Butt’s property ‘worth millions of rupees’ in Gujrat city.

Sources in the Police Department said all suspended SHOs were ‘favourites’ of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, adding no action was taken against them in the past despite several complaints against them.