PESHAWAR, Oct 20: The provincial government has transferred the deputy inspector-general of police (DIG) and the district coordination officer (DCO) of Swat district.

A notification issued here on Friday evening said that DIG Malkand and Swat region Khalid Masood (BPS-20) had been replaced with DIG Special Branch (NWFP) Syed Akter Ali Shah. Mr Masood was given the post of DIG Special branch.

DCO Swat Syed Mohammad Javed (BPS-20) was replaced with Arshad Majeed Mohmand (BPS-19). Mr Javed was given the post of director-general in the local government and rural development department.

District Police Officer (Swat) Mohammad Iqbal was also transferred and Akhter Hayat Gandapur was assigned the post on Saturday, our correspondent adds from Swat.

Sources said a Jirga, comprising elders of Swat district, met caretaker Chief Minister Shamsul Mulk in Peshawar on Friday and blamed the district administration for growing militancy and lawlessness in the area.

The elders had urged Mr Mulk to replace the officials immediately and take appropriate steps to restore the government’s writ in the region where armed supporters of radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah had formed a parallel administration in the area, sources added.