Sindh asks Establishment Division to review decision to transfer police officers

Taking action on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah’s directive, Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah has written to the Establishment Division to review its orders for transferring police officers that has been issued under the rotation policy.

Moved by the CS and addressed to the Secretary, Establishment Division, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, the letter reads: “I am directed to refer to this department’s letter of even number dated February 9, 2021 and to state that the Establishment Division, Government of Pakistan has transferred three officers of PAS (BS-20) and five officers of PSP (BS-20) from the Sindh government under the Rotation Policy 2020 vide the Establishment Division’s notifications dated February 26, 2021.

“I am further directed to bring this fact to the notice of the Establishment Division, Government of Pakistan that the Sindh government is facing acute shortage in the share of PAS (BS-20).

“At present, the shortfall in the share of PAS officers is as follows: total sanctioned posts were 142, of which total share of PAS is 85.20, working strength is 18, shortfall is 67.20 and number of surrendered posts by the Establishment Division is 30 and the net shortfall is 37.

“In view of the above position, the Government of Sindh is not in a position to relieve the three transferred PAS (BS-20) officers. Therefore, in the first instance, the Establishment Division, Government of Pakistan shall either post equal number of PAS (BS-20) officers to recoup the shortfall or alternatively consider the surrender of posts to the Sindh government.

“Until and unless the shortfall is met, the Sindh government shall not be in a position to spare BS-20 PAS officers, as the same will adversely affect the functioning of the

government.

“As far as the transfer of five PSP (BS-20) officers is concerned, it shall not be out of place to inform the Establishment Division, Government of Pakistan that the Sindh government is not facing such a shortage of PSP (BS-20) officers as that of PAS (BS-20) officers.

“It shall, however, be in the fitness of things to inform that the five officers of PSP (BS-20) transferred under the rotation policy are holding important and sensitive assignments, and with their transfer the work of the government will definitely suffer. Thus, the Sindh government shall not be in a position to spare them also.

“However, the Sindh government may spare some other officers of PSP (BS-20) in place of the transferred officers, for which a reference would be made to the Establishment Division, Government of Pakistan shortly.

“In view of the above position, I am directed to request you to cancel the transfer notifications of the above referred three officers of PAS (BS-20) and five officers of PSP (BS-20) for smooth functioning of the business of the Sindh government.”

CM Shah had taken notice of the pick-and-choose policy adopted by the Establishment Division in transferring and posting police officers after the publication of a story by The News. Shah then instructed the CS to write to the Establishment Division for reviewing its decision.

Confronting the federal government’s Establishment Division for issuing transfer orders of six DIGs under a pick-and-choose policy, the provincial government sources said that under the rotation policy, the first batch of seven top officers are supposed to be rotated, followed by the next batch after a six-month interval.

The Establishment Division, according to the provincial government sources, instead of going by the book, went ahead with a preordained selective basis to transfer officers falling on serial numbers 3, 10, 13, 17 and 20.

This manifests that certain officers were especially chosen for the transfer from Sindh, rather than following the protocol of the rotation policy, the sources pointed out.

The officials said the CM had directed the CS to consult with Sindh Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Ahmed Mehar and write to the Establishment Division for reviewing its transfer orders.