Fact-check: Is Lahore CCPO’s transfer an unprecedented step of provincial govt?

ISLAMABAD: Lahore CCPO Ghulam Mehmood Dogar’s transfer is being widely debated and described as violative of apex court orders.

It merits a fact checking to determine whether the transfer of the top police official of the provincial capital is an unprecedented one?

The fact checking of the transfer and postings of bureaucracy in the Punjab reveals that the Usman Buzdar-led PTI government had broken all the records of bureaucracy reshuffling in his three-and-a-half-year tenure.

As per the data of transfers and postings of Buzdar government, the PTI-led government made massive and unprecedented reshuffling in the bureaucracy throughout its three-and-a-half year tenure. The record shows that the Usman Buzdar-led government transferred around 1,100 secretaries, Director Generals, Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and Additional Deputy Commissioners in the Punjab province during its tenure.

Moreover, the reshuffling in the Police Department’s senior officials is even bigger than those of the administrative branch. The record reveals Buzdar transferred around 2,000 senior police officials, including DIGs, Regional Police Officers, City Police Officers, District Police Officers and SDPOs. As per the record, around 402 DIGs, RPOs, CPOs and DPOs were transferred and more than 1,600 SDPOs were changed during the Usman Buzdar government.

In May 2022, Editor Investigation, The News, Ansar Abbasi, carried out an investigation to measure the total number of transfers and postings in the Buzdar-led PTI government. As per the story, the record reveals that four districts were the major recipients of these changes where the maximum number of transfers and postings occurred. These four districts include Lahore, Gujranwala, Pakpattan and Dera Ghazi Khan. Similarly, Chakwal is the least affected district from these transfers and postings where the minimum number of officials in administrative and police departments were transferred.

During its three-and-a-half-year tenure in Punjab, the Buzdar government changed 216 secretaries in 40 provincial ministries. The PTI-led government changed up to 10 secretaries in some ministries. On an average, every ministry welcomed more than five secretaries during the Buzdar government. As many as 10 secretaries were changed in the Ministry of School Education. Similarly, nine secretaries were transferred to the Ministry of Higher Education and the Transport Department, the story reveals.

The Management & Professional Development Department, Irrigation Department, Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries Department and Auqaf & Religious Affairs Department each welcomed eight secretaries in the PTI-led government in Punjab. The minimum number of transfers of secretaries in any ministry is three.

According to the story, the bureaucracy reshuffling was not limited only to the extent of secretaries; Buzdar also changed 57 commissioners in all 10 Divisions of Punjab. On an average, the PTI government changed 5.7 commissioners in every division during its three-and-a-half-years’ tenure.

Lahore, Gujranwala, Dera Ghazi Khan and Sahiwal are the top four divisions of Punjab where the maximum number of commissioners were transferred. In each of the four divisions, seven commissioners were changed by the Buzdar government. Bahawalpur is the only division where the minimum number of (4) commissioners were changed.

In 36 districts of Punjab, the Buzdar government transferred 198 deputy commissioners in three-and-a-half years. On an average, 5.5 DCs were changed in every district during the PTI-led government. Dera Ghazi Khan and Gujranwala are the only two districts where the maximum number of DCs were changed. Each of the two districts welcomed 8 DCs during Buzdar’s tenure. Even the number of transfers in Mianwali and Lahore is less than DG Khan and Gujranwala.

Chakwal, Multan and Khanewal are the only three districts where minimum number of DCs transfers took place. Only three deputy commissioners have been posted in these districts during the PTI government. There are a few instances where a DC was changed within two months e.g. in Gujranwala Manzoor Hussain was transferred within 58 days of his posting as Deputy Commissioner.

In DG Khan and Pakpattan, some DCs were transferred within three months e.g. Waqas Rashid was transferred within three months as DC Dera Ghazi Khan and Nauman Yousaf was transferred in three months as DC Pakpatan.

The Buzdar government made 306 transfers and postings on top slots in the Police Department, including DIGs, RPOs, CPOs and DPOs in all the districts of Punjab. The Buzdar administration changed 10 DIG operations and 11 SSP operations only in Lahore. After Lahore, Pakpattan is the second district where maximum number of DPOs were changed as Buzdar transferred nine district police officers during his tenure.

In terms of Regional Police Officers (RPOs), Gujranwala is on the top of the list where maximum (8) RPOs were transferred during the Buzdar government. Chakwal is one of the districts where minimum reshuffle occurred in the Buzdar government as only three DPOs were transferred during this period.

Moreover, the PTI government transferred 203 Director Generals (DGs) in 47 directorates established in the Punjab government. On an average, every directorate was headed by more than 4 DGs during the Buzdar government.

According to the story, the Directorate General of Anti-Corruption Establishment welcomed the maximum number (8) of DGs during the Buzdar government. Religious Affairs and Auqaf directorate as well as Protocol directorates were the least impacted directorates where only one DG served in each department during the entire tenure of Buzdar government.

Similarly, the record shows Buzdar changed 426 Additional Deputy Commissioners (ADCs), including 114 ADCs (General), 28 ADCs (Headquarters), 85 ADCs (F&P) and 199 ADCs (Revenue) in all 36 districts of Punjab.

In addition to this, the PTI government transferred more than 1,600 SDPOs in all the 36 districts of Punjab, which is a record reshuffling in three-and-a-half years time.