LAHORE, Sept 20: The city police authorities transferred and posted 15 station house officers (SHOs) on Thursday.

Dawn learnt four SHOs were posted on the recommendation of PML-N MNAs, four were directly posted by the operations police chief and three others were posted on the recommendation of their police bosses.

Similarly, four SHOs were transferred and made OSDs over multiple complaints against them.

According to a notification, Inspector Hassan Askari from Police Lines was posted South Cantonment SHO; Inspector Muhammad Javed from Police Lines was posted Data Darbar SHO; Inspector Nazim Nazir from Lines was posted Kot Lakhpat SHO; Inspector Hammad Akhtar from Police Lines was Muslim Town SHO and Inspector Tahir Ikram from Muslim Town was posted at Lines; Inspector Zahoor Shaheen from Yakki Gate was posted at Faisal Town; Inspector Sajjad Ahmad Goraya from Faisal Town was posted at Lower Mall; Inspector Amjad Ali from Sherakot was transferred to Police Lines; Inspector Kamran Zaman from Shafeeqabad was transferred and posted at Police Lines; Inspector Rahis Amin Butt was transferred from Factory Area to Harbanspura; Inspector Atif Miraaj was transferred from Police Lines to Factory Area; Sub-Inspector Tahir Ikraam was transferred from Muslim Town to Shafeeqabad; SI Imran Qamar was transferred from Lower Mall to Yakki Gate; SI Anwar Saeed was transferred from Police Lines to Sherakot; SI Taseer Riaz was transferred from Harbanspura to Police Lines, and SI Idrees Qureshi was transferred from Data Darbar to Lines.

According to police record, inspector Sajjad Ahmad Goraya has been posted for a second time at Lower Mall Police Station.

Earlier, he was dismissed from service for allegedly patronizing gambling. Inspector Nazim Nazeer, now Kot Lakhpat SHO, is stated to be a relative of a PML-N leader.

A police source privy to the development told Dawn that the pace of transfers and postings of SHOs on likes and dislikes had a direct link with the forthcoming elections.

He said the authorities had ordered police officers to meet PML-N legislators, office-bearers, former nazims and councilors and oblige them in transfer and posting of SHOs.

He said PML-N leaders’ interference was so frequent in police affairs that hardly any SHO completed his three-month stay at a station.

The source said frequent reshuffles and the posting of “corrupt” and punished officers showed that police authorities had failed to post good officers in field.

An SHO seeking anonymity told Dawn that it seemed that a reference and not performance was the criteria for postings.

He said the corruption factor and disciplinary actions against the officials were also being overlooked.

The SHO, who is an inspector, said it was not possible for any SHO to understand crime dynamics of a police station and deliver unless he was given at least three months at a station.

Another SHO said anybody could visit the police stations to see the names of SHOs and their short tenures.

He said the Nawab Town Police Station has seen nine SHOs in the last 14 months.

DIG (Operations) Muhammad Tahir Rai, however, said he changed a few SHOs for inefficiency and others voluntarily surrendered and applied for leaves after he pushed them for performance against rising crime.

He rejected the impression that the SHOs were being transferred and posted on political pressures.

He admitted that there was shortage of efficient and well-reputed inspectors in the force and police had to rely on available stuff.