KARACHI: After curtailing the powers of the inspector general of police regarding transfer and posting of senior officers, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah delegated his authority to the Sindh home minister, empowering him to transfer and post not only SPs and SSPs but DIGs too anywhere in the province — an unusual move being described as a blatant violation of rules and regulations.

While a notification to this effect has been issued by the Sindh chief secretary with the approval of the CM, insiders say the decision was taken at the behest of bigwigs of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party.

They viewed it as a clear-cut attempt to undermine the authority of the provincial chief executive and an indication that all is not well within the ruling party.

It demonstrated a lack of confidence of the top PPP leadership in the CM, who was not ‘obeying’ their every desire, they said, adding that certain powerful elements in the ruling party were not happy over a host of issues such as recruitment of around 9,000 policemen on merit and through a ‘transparent manner’.

Sources said in the recent meeting of the Sindh apex committee, which was chaired by Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Bajwa, the participants appreciated the CM and IG A.D. Khowaja for the transparent recruitment of 9,000 policemen, who were being trained by the army.

The decision indicates strings of the government are being pulled from somewhere else

They said under the rules and regulations it was the prerogative of the chief minister to transfer and post DIGs across the province. The delegation of his own powers to one of his cabinet members — Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal, who is considered to a close aide to a top PPP leader — would have not been an easy decision against the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s instruction that senior police officers should be appointed by the chief minister, they added.

The notification reads: “In pursuance of Rule-7 (ii) of the Sindh Government Rules of Business, 1986 and with the approval of the Chief Minister Sindh, the transfers/postings of Superintendent of Police (BS-18), Senior Superintendent of Police (BS-19) and Deputy Inspector General of Police (BS-20) and equivalent shall be issued by the Services, General Administration and Coordination Department with the approval of the Minister for Home Sindh.”

This decision came a week after the provincial government took back the powers of IG Khowaja to transfer and post SPs and SSPs. A notification issued on June 30 empowered the Sindh chief secretary to transfer and post SPs and SSPs with the approval of the CM.

Notification issued without amending rules

The latest notification also said that the June 30 notification “whereby the transfers and postings of SPs and SSPs and equivalent were to be issued by the Services, General Administration and Coordination Department with the approval of the Chief Minister Sindh, is hereby cancelled/withdrawn”.

Official sources in the provincial government told Dawn that the home minister can transfer and post up to grade-17 police officers and as per the rules concerned, it was prerogative of the chief secretary and the CM to transfer and post SPs, SSPs and DIGs.

They said previously the chief secretary issued orders of transfer and posting of a police officer. But, when Ghulam Hyder Jamali was appointed as IG, the then CM had delegated his powers to him to transfer and post SPs and SSPs in the province. However, the CM kept the powers of transfer and posting of DIGs with him.

They said it required changes or amendments in the Sindh Civil Servants Act of 1973 to empower the home minister to transfer and post SPs, SSPs and DIGs.

According to them, the provincial government under Section 26 of the Sindh Civil Servants Act of 1973 can amend the rules for which it needs to float a summary to be vetted by the provincial law department before bringing any changes in the rules concerned.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2017