KARACHI: The federal government’s decision to transfer five senior officers of the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) out of Sindh has sparked a controversy as the provincial government decided not to relieve the officers on the grounds that the action was taken without consulting it.
Officials said that the federal government has transferred Hyderabad SSP Shahzaib Chachar, Sukkur SSP Faisal Ahmed Chaudhry, Jamshoro SP Zafar Siddig, Matiari SP Abdul Aleem Baloch and Tando Muhammad Khan SP Haseeb Javed to Balochistan.
However, the Sindh government contended that the decision was taken without consultation and it was not possible to relieve the five officers since they were holding important district and field postings and playing a central role in maintaining law and order and tackling crime in their respective areas.
Talking to Dawn, Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar said the sudden transfer of the police officers would disrupt ongoing operations and weaken coordination at a time when the province was dealing with street crime, organised gangs and other law and order challenges.
He said that the decision was taken without seeking the province’s views or taking it into confidence, despitethe fact that police officers posted in Sindh work under the administrative control of the provincial government.
The home minister said that no consultation was held with the provincial government before the transfers were ordered. ‘The federal government should have discussed the matter with the province, particularly because the officers concerned were posted on sensitive assignments where continuity mattered,’ he said.
He said that it was within the discretion of the provincial government not to relieve the transferred officers, adding that it could not be expected to release officers posted on key assignments without being consulted.
Sources in the provincial government said that the transfers had raised questions about coordination between the Centre and the province on police matters.
They said that while police officers belonging to the PSP were federal employees and liable to be transferred as a matter of routine, established practice required consultation with the provincial government, especially when officers were holding sensitive and key operational positions, particularly relating to law and order and street crime.
They said that the provincial government was concerned that sudden transfers of senior police officers without prior discussion could affect the morale of the force and hamper long-term planning against crime.
They said that officers working in districts needed time to understand local crime patterns and build intelligence networks.
The sources said that the provincial government would take up the matter with the federal government and seek a review of the decision.