LAHORE: Moments before the crucial session of the Punjab Assembly to elect a new chief minister on Friday, the federal government removed Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Rao Sardar Ali Khan from his post.

Sources said the federal government removed IG Sardar Ali Khan after he requested for his transfer to another appropriate position since the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and other leaders had frequently been declaring that they will hold ‘accountable’ the top provincial bureaucracy, including the IG police and the chief secretary for their alleged involvement in manhandling of the party supports during the Azadi March, after winning the chief minister’s slot.

According to notifications issued by the Establishment Division on Friday, Rao Sardar Ali Khan was replaced with Pakistan Railways Inspector General Faisal Shahkar. The outgoing inspector general has been transferred and posted as the Pakistan Railways inspector general with immediate effect until further orders.

Separately, Shahkar, previously serving as the railways inspector general has now been transferred and posted as the provincial police chief with immediate effect until further orders.

The newly-appointed police chief is a grade-22 officer and belonged to the sixteenth common. He joined the Pakistan Police Service as the additional superintendent in 1988 and served as the additional inspector general at the Special Branch for almost three years. He has also served in the United Nations’ special missions in Bosnia and Liberia among other countries.

Meanwhile, there were also reports that Punjab Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal has also refused to work and requested the government for his transfer to another appropriate position.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022