ISLAMABAD: As the February 8 general elections draw near, the Establishment Division acted upon the directives of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday by promptly dismissing Islamabad’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Akbar Nisar Khan and Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon from their positions.
In May 2022, then-DIG (grade-20) Nasir was appointed as the head of the federal capital’s police force during the former Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led coalition government.
Following complaints from various political parties fearing their potential influence on the upcoming elections, the ECP requested the interior ministry in October to transfer these officers. In November, the interior ministry urged the Establishment Division to act on the ECP’s directives promptly, which were initially ignored.
Last week, the ECP summoned the Establishment Division secretary, demanding an explanation for the officers’ delayed removal. They were instructed to appear before the ECP on December 26.
A day before the scheduled appearance, the officers were removed from their positions to evade potential departmental action or penalties by the electoral watchdog.
Interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has instructed the Establishment Division to propose a list of officers for consideration to fill the vacant posts.
Earlier, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja cautioned government officials against neglecting their election duties or exhibiting “political bias,” emphasizing the necessity of conducting free, fair, and impartial elections for a robust democracy.
The election commission, striving for fair polls, recently ordered the dismissal of Adviser to the Prime Minister on Establishment Ahad Cheema from office.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
