Govt transfers IGP, ECP suspends order

ISLAMABAD: While the Establishment Division early Tuesday replaced Tahir Khan with Amjad Saleemi as the Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP), the chief of Punjab Commission for Police Reforms Nasir Khan Durrani reportedly resigned from his post later Tuesday.

The notification, No 12 (18)/88-E-3(Police), was issued after one month and two days of Tahir Khan's appointment as the province's police chief.

However, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) suspended the federal government's decision only a few hours of issuance of the notification about the transfer of Tahir Khan and appointment of Amjad Javed Saleemi.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza has summoned details pertaining to Tahir Khan from the Election Commission Secretariat in two days. The ECP has also written to the secretary establishment to halt the transfer.

According to the Election Commission officials, the police chief replacement would be considered a violation of the ECP rules due to the upcoming by-polls. Speaking on the matter, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said Tahir Khan was removed as Punjab's Police chief for not obeying the government orders. The federal minister said Khan had exhibited carelessness towards institutional matters.

"We have given a clear message to the bureaucracy that we want work done," Chaudhry said. "In the incumbent government's tenure, only those will continue to serve on their positions who will perform."

Tahir did not fulfill his responsibilities, the information minister further said. Sources told The News that the incumbent IGP, Muhammad Tahir Khan, was removed for giving posting to some police officers allegedly involved in the Model Town tragedy. The federal government had asked him to remove them from the current slots, but he did not obey the orders.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry also said Tahir Khan failed to accomplish the tasks given to him for bringing about a change. He added that only those officers in bureaucracy would be retained who would serve people.

On the other hand, the chief of the Punjab Commission for Police Reforms, Nasir Khan Durrani, reportedly resigned from his post on Tuesday. The former IGP Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was assigned the task of introducing reforms and rid the Punjab Police of political interference. A former IGP claimed that Durrani had reservations over the transfer of Punjab IGP Tahir Khan. However, there were reports that he had resigned over some medical complications.