Without delaying a single day after the conclusion of by-polls, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf government on Monday replaced Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Muhammad Tahir with Amjad Javed Saleemi which once again triggered the debate of political interference in Punjab police.
Last week, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had suspended the federal government's decision to replace Punjab Police Chief Muhammad Tahir Khan with Saleemi since it was before the Sunday's by-elections. According to the ECP rules, the government is not allowed to make new appointments or transfer any government official before elections.
In his brief talk to media persons after assuming the charge, IG Saleemi said he wants to work with senior police officers, particularly former head of the police reforms commission Nasir Durrani, who resigned from his post after hearing the news about the transfer of Punjab police chief Muhammad Tahir.
"Although Durrani has resigned from the commission but he has been an experienced police officer. "We will ask him for his advice whenever it is needed," Saleemi said. He said they will draft policies by keeping in view the needs of citizens.
He claimed that police personnel would work hard in order to improve the performance of police department. To a query, Saleemi admitted that there was corruption in the Punjab police but promised to root it out by introducing strict internal accountability mechanism. He also admitted that first information reports (FIR) of many reported crimes were not registered as the process was complicated.
"We have to improve the registration process of FIRs. I will ensure that all FIRs are lodged at proper time," he said. Saleemi further said that at least 10 percent of his police force will be imparted modern training so that they can perform better. "Leading a force of 190,000 personnel is like leading the world's biggest police force, but I am ready to face the challenges," he added.
It may be noted that the decision to removed IG Tahir was taken after some senior PTI leaders realized that the former was not fit for the slot.
According to sources, the PTI government's relationship with Muhammad Tahir worsened when he objected the transfers, postings and suspension of some senior police officers. They said Tahir was allegedly directed to transfer five district police officers (DPOs), including one from southern Punjab and three from the central Punjab besides appointing a police officer as DPO Gujrat. Tahir, however, refused to oblige the government citing some reasons and the mandatory approval of the ECP in view of the by-elections. The federal government had also asked the IG to remove all police officers who were involved in the 2014 Model Town killings. The IG again resisted the move arguing that the case was pending before a court of law and the removal would be against the spirit of justice and will demoralize the entire police force.
The sources said this decision further irked the PTI leaders which worsened relationship between Mohammad Tahir and both the federal and provincial governments, leading to the removal of the IG.