Govt will not try to replace Sindh police chief anymore, says Siyal

Sindh’s home minister said on Thursday that the present government of the Pakistan Peoples Party will not make any move until the end of its tenure to replace the provincial police chief.

Talking to the media, Suhail Siyal said that until the last day of its tenure (May 28), the present Sindh government will not suggest replacing the incumbent provincial inspector general of police (IGP).

“Let me assure you in the most unequivocal words that until May 28 and until the time Murad Ali Shah is the Sindh chief minister and Suhail Anwar Siyal is the provincial home minister, this government will never make any move to change the IGP.”

Siyal termed “totally baseless” all such assertions and assumptions that the Sindh government will write a letter or make a move in the coming days to replace the police chief. “I, on behalf of the ruling PPP, make the solemn commitment that we shall not replace the sitting IGP.”

The home minister said that it is wrong to assume that the IGP and the provincial police force can play any part in influencing the transparent and neutral conduct of the 2018 general elections in the province.

“Our political opponents didn’t make any allegation at all that we used the police force as a political tool to influence the conduct of the last local government elections in the province in 2015.”

Rumours have been making the rounds lately that the Sindh administration will once again attempt to replace the incumbent provincial police chief as the authorities are about to finalise the draft of a proposed bill to amend the Police Act to empower the government to effectively control the police force. The Sindh administration is planning to get the proposed bill passed from the provincial assembly before the expiry of its own tenure the following month.