KP Police have highest number of cops in senior grades

PESHAWAR: After facing shortage of senior cops in recent years, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police have now got the highest number of officers in grade-21 and grade-20.

“For the first time in many years, and even decades, the province now has four additional inspectors general of police (Ad IGPs) in grade 21. The number of deputy inspectors general (DIGs) in grade 20 has reached 23 after promotion of officers in KP and transfer of more cops from other provinces,” an official of the KP Police told The News.

The number of sanctioned posts of grade-21 in the province is five, out of which KP now has got four. An Ad IGP Ishtiaq Marwat was already serving in the province while three cops, Muhammad Wisal Fakhar Sultan, Usman Anwar and Sabir Ahmad were transferred recently.

Another grade-21 officer expected in KP was later transferred to the Federal Investigation Agency. Kashif Alam, who was looking after the office of Ad IG headquarters, is also to return in a few days from a senior level course.

An official said that the number of sanctioned positions of DIGs in grade-20 in the province was 21 while the current strength had reached 23. Those, who got promoted to grade 20 while already serving in the province, included Ashfaq Anwar, Gul Said Afridi and Zeeshan Asghar.

KP got services of DIGs Abdullah Sheikh, Ahmad Arsalan Malik, Saqib Ismail Memon, Muhammad Chandio and Muhammad Nauman Siddiqui. One of these officers hails from Punjab while four are from Sindh.

A large number of officers were reshuffled in the wake of the new policy for those who were serving in one province for 10 years. “This has happened for the first time that KP has got such a large number of officers in grade-20 and 21. Otherwise, grade-19 officers had been looking after offices of DIGs and regional police officers while grade-20 officers used to serve as acting Ad IGs for the last many years to fill the vacant positions,” an official said.

Many officers in grade-19 remained acting DIGs in KP for years while a large number of junior officers had to be posted as district police officers and superintendent of police due to shortage of officers in grade-18 and grade-19. The postings of junior officers in senior offices was apparently as acting charge but they remained in these offices for years.

The same continued down to the junior ranks. An official said the KP Police authorities on a number of occasions wrote to the federal government, asking for transfer of seasoned cops to the province to overcome the shortage of officers in senior grades. The province also demanded “hard area” status like that of Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan when terrorist attacks were at its peak in KP in a bid to get more seasoned officers for heading important offices. However, the plea about shortage of officers was always ignored.

In 2019, the KP Police in a letter informed the Home Department and the Establishment Division Islamabad that there were a total of 98 sanctioned positions of Police Service of Pakistan (PSPs) in grade-19 and grade-18 in the province. However, the number of PSPs posted in the province in these grades was 51 only.