Karachi: The provincial Sindh government on Monday removed A.D. Khawja from the position of police chief, sending him on leave, amid controversy over his alleged non-obedience of orders.
Under the official procedure, chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has asked Khawja to relinquish his charge and proceed on forced leave for a fortnight.
Some media reports said bigwigs in the province’s ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are not happy with Khawja hiring policemen in the force on merit, dispelling all political influences — as is usually done in such government hirings.
Nevertheless, the provincial government could not remove him earlier as the senior officers from the military establishment expressed their reservations over his removal from the inspector general of police office as he was working well with other security agencies in the ongoing operation against outlaws.
Quoting sources, the media also reported that recently Khawja came to loggerheads with an influential industrialist, who tried to use a senior superintendent of police (SSP) to facilitate him in order to force the sugar cane growers to supply sugar cane at his own offered prices.
Khawja not only allegedly defied the attempt to influence him but also had exchange of barbs with the industrialist, who is said to be very close with the top brass of the PPP.
The PPP government got the opportunity to remove Khawja after the Corps Commander of Karachi and Director-General of Sindh Rangers — the two key officials against his removal — were transferred and posted elsewhere.
Khawja was brought in as the new chief of police chief some nine months ago after the Supreme Court had ordered the removal of Ghulam Haider Jamali, the then IG of police, over charges of embezzling funds and illegal recruitments in the police force.
Additional Inspectors-General (ADIGs) Abdul Majeed Dasti and Ghulam Qadir Thebo, the two senior police officers, have been tipped to be the potential contenders of the new police chief. For an interim period additional inspector general Mushtaq Mehar, who is currently serving as Karachi police chief, has been given an additional charge of the IG Sindh.
Meanwhile, the PPP leadership was busy arranging a welcome procession for the arrival of Asif Ali Zardari, the co-chairperson of the PPP, who was living in self exile abroad after he left the country in June 2015.
His departure was linked with his fiercely criticism of military generals over their involvement in civilian government as well as corruption.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the chairman of the PPP in a press conference said that his father would be accorded a massive welcome reception on his arrival on December 23.
