The Sindh Court High Court (SHC) on Monday said that the province's Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kaleem Imam, would continue working until the Establishment Division decides to remove him from the office.
The remarks were made by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar who was overseeing the proceedings of a case related to the Sindh government's request for the removal of the IGP.
Sindh Advocate General Shabbir Shah appeared on behalf of the provincial government in court today.
The petition challenging the decision of the provincial cabinet to change the Sindh IGP was filed in court earlier today by lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir. The petitioner also shared a copy of the document on Twitter.
During the hearing, the counsel for the petitioner argued that in the letter sent to the federal government requesting Imam's removal, there was no mention of any discussions over the matter between the province and the centre.
"The federal government has rejected the request of the provincial authorities to remove Imam. The federal authorities have also said that the province cannot appoint an acting officer to replace Imam until a final decision about his removal has been made," the counsel argued.
Responding to the statement, the Sindh advocate-general said that the Sindh government considers it a matter of public interest.
Upon hearing the arguments of both the petitioner and the government, Justice Mazhar observed that the federal government has yet to respond on the matter, and that the court had previously ruled over the issue.
"The court has already ruled that the IGP can only be changed after consultations between the centre and the province. Under the laws, the tenure of the IGP runs for three years. The new IGP must be appointed in accordance with the law," the judge remarked.
The judge then ordered that the incumbent IGP Imam stay in his office until the centre responds to the request.
Further proceedings in the case were adjourned until January 28.
On Saturday, the federal government had said it was considering a request by the Sindh government to remove IGP Imam from office over "unsatisfactory performance".
Earlier this month, the provincial authorities had written a letter to the Establishment Division asking for the removal of Imam and the appointment of another police officer in his place.
In the letter, the Sindh government had also suggested names for the post. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which is in opposition in Sindh, had subsequently said it would challenge the removal of Imam in court.