Sindh public safety commission passes resolution against IGP for another no-show

The Sindh Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission in its third meeting unanimously passed a resolution expressing their displeasure at the absence of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Kaleem Imam from the second consecutive meeting of the commission.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at the CM House on Friday. The meeting was attended by commission members Sharjeel Inam Memon, Imdad Ali Pitafi, Mohammad ali Aziz, Shahnaz Begum, Shamim Mumtaz, Karamat Ali, advocate Jhamat Mal and Qurban Ali Malano. Adviser on Law Murtaza Wahab was a special invitee.

The agenda of the meeting included a report on action taken against the manufacturers/smugglers of gutka, mainpuri and narcotics (with details regarding sealing of manufacturing units, cases registered, arrest made, case properties seized and cases challaned in courts).

Sindh’s top cop was supposed to submit a comprehensive report in this regard. A review of reports submitted by the IGP regarding the Shaheed Benazirabad University the issue of students, the Mehrabpur incident of the beating of a child and the Pir-jo-Goth incident of suicide by a boy had also been carried out.

The members also could not discuss the Provincial Annual Policing Plan with KPIs (kay performance indicators), the matter concerning office space for the commission, progress on the establishment of District Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission, and the District Selection Panel and Rules of Procedure of the Commission.

Dr Imam, who was supposed to inform the members of what action had been taken against the drug mafia, was not present in the meeting, however.

On a query, it was revealed that the provincial police chief had flown to Islamabad to attend a meeting. The chief minister said the IGP had informed him that an emergency meeting had been convened by the prime minister so he had been called there. One of the commission members disclosed that it was not an emergency meeting but had been in fact scheduled much before the month of December.

The commission members observed that it was the second consecutive meeting that the IGP had avoided. They felt that Dr Imam was not ready to attend a meeting of a statutory body of Sindh.

Karamat Ali, a senior member of the commission, in consultation with other members, presented a resolution under which displeasure was shown over the absence of the IGP from the second consecutive meeting of the commission.

The resolution further said that the inspector general of police preferred to attend a meeting of political nature in Islamabad and avoided a statute body’s meeting in Sindh. The commission unanimously passed a resolution against him over his absence.

The commission, after the passing of the resolution, called Additional IG Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon, Addition IG Yakoob Minhas and DIG Khaliq Shaikh to the meeting and Karamat Ali told them about the resolution passed by the commission.

He told the additional IG Karachi that the commission was postponing the agenda items relating to the IGP and was taking up only those items for discussion which were of administrative nature.

The commission members also expressed surprise that the federal government was inviting the IGP and other top officers serving in Sindh without informing the chief minister. In principle, they should be called to meetings in Islamabad through the chief executive of the province, they said.

The members discussed other agenda items, including office space for the commission. The commission was told that a few offices had been identified and now the members have to visit those offices so that one of them could be finalized or selected. As far as Rules of Procedure of the commission was concerned Advocate Jhamat Mal told the meeting that he has framed the rules and further input of the members was required in this regard. Therefore, the commission members were urged to submit their input so that Rules of Procedure could be finalized.

The secretary of the Commission Saifullah Abro told the members that he has requested the district administration to recommend names for District Public safety & Police Complaint Commissions so that they could be established.

The commission members decided to convene 4rth meeting of the commission within next 10 days in which complaints related to police would be discussed.