Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Member Provincial Assembly (MPA), Hina Pervaiz Butt, submitted a resolution, on Tuesday, in the Punjab Assembly condemning the transfer of the District Police Officer (DPO) Pakpattan after he intercepted the former husband of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife for over-speeding.

The resolution slammed the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) government for failing to uphold its promise of depoliticising the police. The text of the resolution read that the DPO Pakpattan, Rizwan Umar Gondal, was transferred through political interference after the police personnel under his watch tried to stop Khawar Maneka, the ex-husband of Bushra Bibi, at a checkpoint.

The party which claimed to bring the police reforms violated the law, the resolution stated, adding that the DPO’s transfer was carried out for revenge which was regrettable.

The resolution demanded that the DPO should be reinstated immediately and the federal government should conduct an inquiry into the matter without any bias. Those responsible for the incident should be held accountable as per the law, the resolution added.

Media reports claiming the DPO Pakpattan’s transfer sparked a controversy on Monday, as speculations suggested that the police officer was transferred because of the altercation between the police and Maneka on August 23.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab, soon after the media reports, denied that the DPO was transferred under any political pressure and said that it was done due to his contradictory and misleading statements about misbehaviour by the police personnel with a citizen.

Information Minister Punjab, Fayyaz ul Chohan, said that the PTI had nothing to do with the incident and that the party did not believe in meddling in the affairs of the institutions. He promised to hold an investigation which would bring facts to the fore within 48 hours.

Published in Daily Times, August 29^th 2018.