SHC extends order staying IGP Khowaja’s transfer till April 19

The Sindh High Court extended on Thursday its interim order staying the transfer of provincial police chief AD Khowaja and allowing him to continue to work till April 19.

The court was hearing a petition of Karamat Ali and other rights activists as well as of non-governmental organisations against the repeal of the Police Order, 2002, through the Sindh
(Repeal of the Police Order, 2002, and Revival of the
Police Act, 1861) Act, 2011, and the Sindh government’s decision to transfer Inspector General of Police Khowaja.

At a previous hearing, the high court had suspended the government’s notifications of Khowaja’s transfer to Islamabad and Sardar Abdul Majeed’s appointment as acting IGP.

Advocate General Zamir Ghumro submitted the notifications of the appointments of IGPs since 2002, arguing that the appointment of the inspector general of police was a provincial subject and the issue had already been decided by the Supreme Court in its judgments.

He maintained that the federal government had no authority to intervene in the matter and also questioned the maintainability of the petition, contending that laws relating to the police and the armed forces could not be challenged under the writ jurisdiction.

The advocate general said that 13 IGPs had been appointed since 2002, the provincial government sent three names to the federal government for appointment as IGP and consultation is made in case of disagreement over the names. He requested the court to vacate the stay order.

A division bench, headed by Justice Munib Akhtar, said that the interim order would continue till the next hearing and adjourned the proceedings till April 19 on a request made on behalf of the petitioners’ counsel, Faisal Siddiqui, who was engaged in the Supreme Court.

Khowaja has been critical of the Police Act, 1861, of the colonial era and wants the enforcement of the Police Order, 2002, to meet the policing challenges of the 21st century. 

On April 3, resuming his duties after the high court’s decision to reinstate him as the provincial police chief, Khowaja held a meeting with participants of the National Management Course at the Central Police Office and highlighted the challenges faced by the police force. However, he asserted that morale among the rank and file of the force was high.

According to a statement issued by the CPO, he spoke about the measures adopted for upgrading the policing system and the efforts made to address the persisting issue of a trust deficit between citizens and the police force.

For the purpose, he said facilitation centres had been set up at the district level along with the establishment of reporting centers at different police stations. Also, the IGP added, the police’s helpline, 15, had also been upgraded as had been the city’s CCTV network.

Emphasising that a large majority of Karachi’s citizens were peace-loving and law-abiding people, IGP Khowaja said that like any other city there were unscrupulous elements in the metropolis who needed to be dealt with an iron fist.

Discussing the reforms introduced in the force, he said measures were being taken for the welfare of cops and their families, including increasing the compensation amount for those who laid their lives down or were injured in the line of duty.