Pakpattan DPO transfer case: Punjab CM rejects Lak’s inquiry report

ISLAMABAD: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Saturday rejected the inquiry report holding him responsible for issuing instructions from his office for the transfer of former DPO Pakpattan Rizwan Gondal.

The chief minister submitted his reply before the Supreme Court in the inquiry report, compiled by the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) Coordinator Mehr Khaliq Dad Lak. Buzdar termed the Lak Inquiry report as conjectural, based on a figment of imagination of a fertile mind, rooted in probabilities and surmises and therefore not worthy of any reliance.

The CM disclosed that Inquiry Officer Khaliq Dad Lak had grudge against the present government for not appointing him as IGP Punjab.

“It is important to add here that the inquiry officer had his own axe to grind against the present government for not appointing him as IGP Punjab,” Buzdar claimed.

He, however, submitted that it is a fact that the name of inquiry officer was included in the list of three police officers, sent by the federal government to the provincial government for the purpose of appointment of IGP Punjab. However, he said that before the three names could be considered by the competent authority in the province, the federal government itself posted the inquiry officer as the head of Nacta and the provincial government was saddled with the fate accompli.

In his inquiry report submitted before the Supreme Court on October 3, Nacta Coordinator Lak had revealed that pressure was directly exerted form the office of Punjab Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar for transfer of DPO Pakpattan Rizwan Gondal and found that former IGP Punajb Kaleem Imam simply rubber-stamped the transfer order.

Earlier, Kaleem Imam on direction of the Supreme Court had also submitted a report in the matter with submission that there was no political interference in the transfer of former DPO Pakpattan.

However, the Chief Justice of Pakistan had rejected Imam’s report and had directed the Nacta coordinator to conduct a fresh report in order to ascertain if there was any political interference in the DPO’s transfer.

Buzdar in his reply contended that being chief minister of the province, he is cognizant of his duties to uphold the rule of law and not allow his office to be misused and it is therefore, as submitted in his statement before the apex court as also before the inquiry officer, that he ended the meeting with the RPO and DPO by reposing confidence in the RPO to have the matter resolved amicably.

“Had the chief minister entertained any other design then the meeting would have ended on a different note which is not the case,” Buzdar contended, adding that this fact is confirmed by the statement of RPO Shariq Kamal.

The chief minister further submitted that the conclusion drawn by the inquiry officer with reference to the calls made from the office of CM to IGP and then from IGP to CM office seems superfluous and exaggerated because the reasons for contacting the IGP was to sensitise him about the CM’s tour to Khanewal and Pakpattan and nothing else.

Buzdar stated that the new report “treats the statement of Rizwan Gondal/DPO as gospel, it rubbishes all other statements without justifiable reasons and without much ado.” The CM prayed the apex court to discard the report as being lopsided, presumptuous and conjectural and the matter be disposed of on the assurance of the CM that he shall ensure that there is no interference in the working of police force.

Meanwhile, Ahsen Jameel Gujjar also submitted a reply in the apex court terming the Lak inquiry report as vague, ambiguous and lacking lucidity.

He stated that he is a law abiding ordinary citizen of Pakistan, not holding any government or public office, thus is not likely to cause any state of susceptibility or intimidation on part of the state functionaries who even otherwise are not so gullible in terms of official functions.

Gujjar is a close friend of Khawar Maneka, the first lady’s former husband. After Maneka’s car was intercepted by Gondal in August, the Pakpattan DPO was called to a meeting at the CM House where Gujjar was present. He prayed the apex court to dispose of the proceedings against him.