KARACHI: Inspector General of Police (IGP), Sindh has asked the Sindh government to demote three Police officers from the position of Superintendents of Police (SPs) to their original position Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs).
In an official letter by IGP Sindh to Home Secretary Sindh (copy of which is available with The News), it was asked that three officers of Sindh Police Irshad Sehar, Noor-ul-Haq Rind and Muneer Khuhro originally Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) were notified as Superintendents of Police (SPs) in grade 18, irregularly by Sindh government, should be demoted to their original positions keeping in view their seniority, court orders and Police rules.
The Police had earlier also written two other letters one in October 2017 and in November 2021 to the Sindh Home Department, besides moving a reference on May 4, 2018, to the Chief Secretary Sindh to withdraw their irregular promotions in contravention of rules and court orders, but despite this, the Sindh government took no action.
The Police chief fears the continued service of these officers will adversely affect the promotions of other police officers while their out of turn promotion despite courts’ rulings is already undermining the trust of rank and file in the assessment and promotion system.
The IGP requested the Sindh government to review and withdraw the promotion notifications of Irshad Sehar, Noor-ul-Haq Rind and Muneer Khuhro n the larger interest of justice, equality and to stop flood gates of illegal seniority and promotion and to avoid litigation.
Referring to judgments of the Supreme Court of Pakistan passed in 2013 and 2015, IGP Sindh said their seniority was fixed with their batchmates from the date of initial appointment as ASIs and based on the date of birth according to the rule 12.2(3), 12 B, 13 B of Police rules 1934.
Irshad Sehar was appointed as ASI in 1987, promoted as Inspector on an out of turn basis on February 18, 1992, but was reverted to the rank of Sub-Inspector by IGP in 1992.
He was again promoted as Inspector on June 15, 1995, and later DSP in 2003. Sehar was again promoted SP, on out of turn basis but it was withdrawn and he was demoted as DSP on SC judgement. At that time he claimed his seniority as DSP from 2003 when promoted through Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC), but was placed at the bottom of the seniority list of DSPs as his batch mates were not promoted to that rank. Sehar appealed against the decision and got seniority from the date of his promotion as DSP on April 29, 2014. Once again that seniority was withdrawn by the Home Department. Then, in compliance with SC judgment in CMA 89/2011 and Civil Review Petition 193/2013 he was demoted to Inspector on February 15, 2016. Subsequently, he was promoted as DSP through regular DPC held in Home Department in August 2016 along with his batchmates, but none of them was promoted to SP except Irshad Sehar, Muneer Khuhro and Noor-ul-Haq Rind. Whereas several seniors appointed as ASI during 1984, 1985 and 1986 were still DSPs and awaiting promotion to SP. But this is not yet the end of the story and several more twists and turns remain in his promotions and demotions.
Later Officer Irshad Sehar was assigned seniority as DSP with effect from July 7, 2003, in pursuance of Sindh Services Tribunal judgment of August 30, 2017, and on the recommendations of S&GAD. But since he was on extraordinary ex-Pakistan leave since 2016, he was not recommended for promotion to SP along with Noor-ul-Haq Rind by the Provincial Selection Board-II held in 2019, but surprisingly was promoted SP vide notification of S&GAD of January 28, 2022.
This development opened flood gates of departmental appeals received in the Central Police Office that was forwarded to Home Department. Besides this number of senior DSPs have filed services appeals before the Sindh Services Tribunal.
