Sindh IG Allah Dino Khawaja on Wednesday offered to surrender his post stating he was unable to continue due to constant political pressure.
“I can’t continue working, I am not being allowed to do my job,” said AD Khawaja in his reply to the Sindh High Court. “Since the past six months, it has become very difficult for me to work,” he added.
“It would be in the best interest of police as an important public institution and public order, that he should voluntarily step down and allow the competent authorities to resolve the issue of IGP’s appointment through mutual consultation and consensus, without further delay,” the reply read.
Read more: Sindh government surrenders services of AD Khawaja, recommends replacement
Khawaja submitted the reply through his lawyer Shahab Osto. A SHC bench, headed by Justice Muneeb Akhtar, expressed amazement over the reply and raised questions over Khawaja’s sudden change of mind.
The SHC on May 11 extended its stay order over the removal of Khawaja, restraining the provincial government from taking any action against him for five more days.
The SHC division bench, headed by Justice Munib Akhtar, put off the matter till May 16 after the plaintiff lawyer, Faisal Siddiqui, completed his arguments to keep Khawaja as the IG of police force in the province.
Siddiqui said 13 police chiefs were posted and subsequently transferred in the province within a short span of time by the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government. This practice of the government should be investigated through a commission, he contended.
Also read: SHC directs Sindh govt not to remove IG Sindh AD Khawaja
Replying to the comments filed by the provincial government through its advocate-general, Zameer Ghumro, he said the respondent had cited upholding of the seniority during the appointment of the police chief but itself had never maintained the same previously.
He said that the provincial government had tried to replace Khawaja with a grade-21 officer, Sardar Abdul Majeed Dasti. Technically, Dasti was junior to another similar scale officer, Ghulam Qadir Thebo, who currently serves as the Anti-Corruption Establishment chairperson, the lawyer remarked.
He said the IGs were mostly posted in the province on the basis of own pay scale and not on the basis of seniority. Interestingly, the provincial government has referred the matter of merit but only in this case, he added.
On April 6, the SHC bench had passed an interim order, directing Khawaja to continue his duty as the provincial police chief. Since then, it is being extended by the court.
