After altercation: Lahore CCPO orders arrest of SP

LAHORE: CCPO Umar Sheikh ordered the arrest of SP CIA Asim Iftikhar Kamboh following an exchange of harsh words with him over not taking the CCPO into confidence on arrest of Abid Malhi and reaching late in a meeting.

Sources told The News that the CCPO called a meeting at 1:30am early Thursday at the Punjab Safe Cities Authority to discuss the plan regarding opposition parties rally. The CIA SP was also asked to join the meeting. The SP reached a bit late and told the CCPO that he was not feeling well following which an altercation took place between the two officers.

The CCPO ordered the Civil Lines SP to arrest the CIA SP, to which the CIA SP said he was not a constable. The CCPO then ordered withdrawal of all perks from the SP and registration of an FIR against him, to which the SP said he would punch him. The DIG Operations and DIG Investigations mediated and pacified both officers. However, the CCPO asked the SP to stop working and return the official vehicle. The driver dropped the SP at home. Later, the CCPO stopped the Civil Lines SP from registering the FIR.

Later, it was learnt, the CIA SP met IG Inam Ghani and apprised him of the situation. The IG expressed displeasure with the CCPO, and asked the SP to continue working. No police official was ready to speak on the issue on record. The sources in the CCPO office, however, said that the police chief has been in the eye of "media" storm since his posting to the city. He rejected the impression that the CCPO was abrasive towards his subordinate and the event in question was being blown out of context and proportion.