Plight of Pakistan Police

Mirpurkhas DIG suspended after overnight ‘coup’
By Muhammad Khalid
The News, October 24, 2006

MIRPURKHAS: The Mirpurkhas range deputy inspector-general of police was suspended and his personal staff officer along with a gunman arrested in the wee hours of Monday after overnight dramatic events.

In a row which has been brewing between DIG Saleemullah Khan and Inspector-General of Police Sindh Jehangir Mirza for some time, raids are also being conducted for the arrest of Additional DIG Shahid Bajwa, who is considered as a close aide of the DIG.

The suspension orders came after the DIG tried to get an FIR registered against the provincial police chief overnight Monday for alleged wrongful and illegal orders/action under various sections of the Pakistan Panel Code.

Mirza had reportedly directed Khan a few days ago not to leave Mirpurkhas without his permission. But the boss’s order apparently angered the DIG, who directed an SHO to lodge a case against the IG. The SHO informed the Mirpurkhas DPO of the DIG’s orders soon after receiving them. DPO Abdullah Sheikh then apprised the IG of the situation, who after getting approval from Islamabad immediately suspended Khan.

In the meantime, police sprang into action and arrested the PSO to the DIG, Danish, and his gunman Muhammad Saleem. Both were taken to some unknown place. All records of the DIG office were seized and telephones of his residence and offices were disconnected.

On Monday morning police lodged cases against the DIG, his PSO and the gunman for allegedly using powers beyond authority, creating hurdles to government working and threatening government officials.

Later, speaking to The News from an unknown place, the suspended DIG said many police officers, including the IG, were not happy with the progress in the Manoo Bheel case and the arrests of the main accused in the case, landlord Abdul Rahman Marri, and some SHOs on the charges of running illegal and private torture cells.

“I am being punished for taking action against lawbreakers and showing development in the Manoo Bheel case under the directives of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which annoyed my IG,” Khan said.

He said that, on the orders of the provincial police chief, an FIR was registered against him for creating obstacles to official duties and snatching the Roznamcha (daily report) of a police station. “No one is beyond the law. If I can be booked in the false case of Roznamcha-snatching, why cannot an FIR for wrongful orders be lodged against the IG Sindh who too is not beyond the law?” he asked.

The basis of the orders was illegal and unjustified and “I will fight to get justice” at all costs and even bring the situation to the knowledge of the Supreme Court, he said, noting the apex court had appointed him chief investigation officer in the Manoo Bheel case.