KARACHI: Three months after a botched attempt to remove Inspector General of Sindh A.D.

Khowaja, the provincial government sent him packing on Saturday by appointing another grade-21 police officer already working in the provinceinhis place.

The decision is being viewed as a strategic move the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party badly needs ahead of next general elections.

On Friday, the Sindh government had surrendered the services of Mr Khowaja to the federal government.

A day later, without waiting for Islamabad`s nod, it appointed Additional IGSardar Abdul Majeed Dasti as the provincial police chief till `appointment/ posting of regular incumbent by the Establishment Division`.

Later in the evening, a spokesman for the Sindh police said in a statement that Mr Dasti had assumed his new responsibilities.

Sources in the Establishment Division told Dawn that since law and order was purely a provincial subject, the province could directly ask for an official. The Establishment Division usually forwarded such requests to the prime minister for approval since under the rules, officers in grade 21 and above could only be posted with the PM`s consent.

They said that in this case, since Mr Khowaja`s replacement was already in the service of the provincial government, the authorities did not have to request for his services but needed only to seek a notification of hisposting as IG. Currently, Mr Dasti has been given additional charge of IG the maximum a provincial government can do unilaterally.

Mr Khowaja`s differences with bigwigs of the ruling party on issues relating to removal/posting of police officials before by-elections in some constituencies, his stance on a businessman said to be a close associate of PPP leader Asif Zardari and recruitment in the police department are no secret. And as the 2018 general elections are approaching, it is felt that the PPP can no longer want him in the province.

Sources said Mr Khowaja`s removal was reflection of an earlier decision the Sindh government had taken in December 2016 when it sent Mr Khowaja on `forced leave`. However, the IG managed to stage a comeback in a couple of days after political parties and civil society strongly criticised the government`s move.

`So it was kind of a strategic move when the provincial government demonstrated patience by allowing Mr Khowaja to resume of fice even a day before his sanctioned leave ended, said a source privy to the developments behind the recent decision. `When Mr Khowaja rejoined office on January 2 he was aware of his fate that he would no longer stay on the job. The PPP government was only waiting for the right time to remove him. The decision is finally out now.

The sources said during his over one-year tenure, IG Khowaja tried to bring improvement in the police department, but he gradually went out of favour with the ruling party as soon as he refused to accept certain `requests`. The latest `request` he refused to entertain related to the transfer of a police official from Tando Adam, where a by-election is scheduled to be held on April 20 on a provincial assembly seat that has fallen vacant after resignation of former Pakistan Muslim League-Functionallawmaker Jam Madad Ali.

He has joined the PPP and is contesting the by-poll.

`As expected, the IG refused to transfer the police officer,` a police source said, adding that last month Mr Khowaja had once again flatly refused to remove a SSP posted in Tando Mohammad Khan at the behest of an influential person. However, the provincial government used the Sindh chief secretary to get the official removed from the district.

`The reforms and transparency Mr Khowaja brought in police recruitment process as well as award of contracts to private parties were not liked by certain quarters which matter the most in Sindh, said another source. `There is hardly a year left to the next general elections,` the source said. `We all are aware of election history and trend in the country, particularly in Sindh. Things need to be fixed fast and police postings in this case matter the most.

Mr Khowaja is not the man who can do this job.