Traffic policemen protest against dismissal over ‘poor performance’

IGP Khowaja takes notice, appoints Aftab Pathan to head inquiry

At least 41 traffic police officials on Monday staged a protest outside the Garden Police Headquarters after they were relieved from their duties by the city traffic police chief over failure to stop daytime movement of heavy vehicles in the metropolis.

The protest resulted in a traffic jam in surrounding areas for a few hours. Commenting on the issue, DIG Traffic Asif Aijaz Sheikh said the officials were fired from their jobs over their failure to stop heavy traffic from entering the city.

On March 31, the Sindh High Court had banned the entry of heavy vehicles in Karachi from 6am to 11pm due to an increase in road accidents. DIG Sheikh explained that the court had observed that heavy traffic was prohibited from entering city’s central and business areas, yet it continued to enter the identified areas.

The police probed the matter and names of about 80 officers came to the forefront. After investigating the issue, many officers were suspended, while 41 were relieved from their duties.

The fired officials included officers of different ranks, he explained. He also mentioned that there were about 31 different points from which heavy traffic enters the city. Barriers will be placed at the identified points and traffic entering the city will be checked, he added.

IGP takes notice 

Taking notice of the traffic cops’ protest, Inspector General of Police (IGP) AD Khowaja appointed Additional IG Aftab Pathan as inquiry officer. According to a press release, the IGP has sought a detailed report on the matter.