A serious controversy had broken out in Pakistan after an Inspector General of Police (IGP) was allegedly forced into ordering the arrest of Muhammad Safdar Awan, son-in-law of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on October 19, for chanting slogans at the mausoleum of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the metropolis.
The arrest came just hours after the PML (N) Vice President criticized Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government at a massive rally of People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) – an alliance of 11 opposition political parties which have joined hands to challenge the Imran Khan government backed by the Pakistan Army.
Anger among the police sparked
The alleged incident of IGP kidnapping has sparked anger among the police ranks as Sindh Police had announced protests while about a dozen officers, including the IGP, have rendered their leave requests for a month.
The leave applications submitted by Sindh Police officers to IGP Mahar said that it had become hard for them to “discharge duties in a professional manner” due to the stress caused by Safdar’s arrest.
According to the letters by police, the recent episode of registration of the case against Capt (R) Safdar in which the police high command has not only been ridiculed and mishandled but all ranks of Sindh Police have been demoralized and shocked.
In such a stressful situation, it is quite difficult for me to discharge my duty in a professional manner, the police officials wrote in the letter.
After the sudden leave requests from senior police officers from across the Sindh province, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah reassured the government’s support to the Sindh Police at every stage.
Later, IGP Mahar decided to defer his own leave and ordered his officers to set aside their leave applications for 10 days.
In a tweet, the Sindh police said the decision was taken “in the larger national interest” and pending the conclusion of the inquiry into how the arrest of PML (N) leader Safdar unfolded.
The politics over the incident
On October 20, the PML (N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz claimed that her husband’s arrest was aimed at dividing the opposition’s anti-government alliance.
Former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif had said two parallel governments are controlling Pakistan. People should know who picked up the (Sindh Police) IG, who made him register the FIR and who made the police to arrest Safdar.
Bilawal appeal for probe
PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had demanded that the Army chief and the ISI chief should probe the matter as the paramilitary Frontier Corps, controlled by the Army, was accused of forcing the police to arrest Safdar.
The incident left the provincial government of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) red-faced as the couple was their guest in Karachi where the PPP chief and Maryam had jointly addressed a political gathering against the government.
Bilawal in a press conference said that all top officers of Sindh Police were wondering, who were the people who surrounded the Sindh police chief’s house in the early hours of 19 October and took him to an unspecified location before Safdar was arrested.
He also demanded to know the identities of the two people who went inside the IG’s house and where they allegedly took the police chief at around 4:00 am.
COAS Bajwa orders inquiry
Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has taken notice of the arrest of PML-N leader retired Capt Mohammad Safdar in Karachi and order an “immediate inquiry” in the matter.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement said COAS Bajwa had directed the Karachi Corps Commanders to immediately inquire into the circumstances to determine the facts and report back as soon as possible.
Army inquiry report
Pakistan Army had completed its inquiry regarding the incident of Inspector-General Police Sindh. According to ISPR, the army has completed its court of inquiry and has recommended suspended all concerned persons from their respective responsibilities.
It stated that action will be taken against them at the General Headquarters (GHQ).
ISPR said based on the recommendations of the court of inquiry, it has been decided to remove the concerned officers from their current assignments for further departmental proceedings and disposal at GHQ.
Nawaz Sharif rejected the report
Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif has rejected the outcome of the inquiry report issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations stating it as a cover-up to shield the real culprit.
On a social media website Twitter, Nawaz Sharif said, “Inquiry report on Karachi incident is a cover-up scapegoating juniors and shielding the real culprits. Report ‘Rejected’.”
On the other hand, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari welcomed the action taken on the findings of a probe carried out on the instructions of the army chief into the ‘Karachi incident’.
Bilawal appreciated that the court of inquiry and said, he had demanded that the chief of army staff should order an inquiry and take action.“I have received the good news that the inquiry has been completed and action has also been taken,” he added.
“We should welcome this step. They elevate the stature of institutions,” he said. No other leader from the PML-N has commented on the party’s official stance on the report.
However, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the spokesperson of the opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance, termed the development in the inquiry “a victory of the democratic forces”.
Inquiry report should be made public
It was never a comedy that happened on Oct 19th with IGP, Sindh. Army inquiry just confirmed that some officers did cross their red line.
The episode of IGP kidnapping caused extreme bitterness among the police officers who retaliated by submitting a leave of absence.
The senior police officers were extremely annoyed and upset with the way their IGP was treated. If justice will be done to Sindh Police so that morale and administrative autonomy of police may be reinforced for all times to come.
Certainly, the report issued by the ISPR yesterday did not contain the contents of the report, while a decision on whether to release a detailed report remains to be seen.
Senior PML-N leader and former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi today said that the contents of the report should be made public so that the people could know the facts as to who had abducted IG Sindh. The fact is that this skepticism will continue until the real contents of the report are made public.
