GUJRAT: The district police have withdrawn at least 50pc of the policemen performing security duty for the ruling and opposition lawmakers and other VIPs, including some former DPOs.

The decision to withdraw the police guards has been taken following the directions of Punjab Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Sukhera to deploy maximum force for general security and official work.

Official sources told Dawn on Monday that around 100 policemen had been performing guards’ duties for at least 40 VIPs, including ruling party legislators and former federal ministers Qamar Zaman Kaira and Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain.

Similarly, at least five former district police officers, judges, some religious figures, vice chancellor of the University of Gujrat, two doctors, besides the officials of the district administration, including the DCO, three assistant commissioners and others were given police security.

However, a retired additional IG and two ex-DPOs -- Raja Munawar and Mahmoodul Hasan Qureshi (currently serving in Gigit Baltistan) – will still have guards of Gujrat police.

A former DPO who was posted in the district around a year ago has been given 10 personnel of local police as his security guards because he faced ‘serious threats’ from some banned sectarian outfits.

The ruling party lawmakers, including MNAs Nawabzada Mazhar Ali Khan, Abid Raza Kotla and Jaafar Iqbal and MPAs Hanif Awan, Mian Tariq, Nawabzada Haider Mehdi, Shabeer Kotla and a local leader Raza Ali Warraich Matta have been given two to five police guards each.

Both Qamar Zaman Kaira and Chaudhry Wajahat Husain were given five and two guards, respectively.

Under the revised allocation of police personnel, the number of guards for the lawmakers, former DPOs, two doctors has been halved, whereas the district administration and the judges will have only one police guard at a time.

Published in Dawn, July 1st , 2014