KARACHI: Sindh Inspector General of Police A.D. Khowaja has ordered immediate withdrawal of thousands of police guards from unauthorised persons in the light of a recent Supreme Court order.

It is expected that around 4,000 policemen would be withdrawn and deployed for policing in Karachi alone.

The IGP issued a notification on Friday directing authorities concerned to withdraw the police guards from every person who was not legally entitled.

According to the IGP’s order, the direction has been issued in the light of the apex court’s April 20 order during its suo motu proceedings regarding provision of police security to those who were not legally entitled.

The IG Sindh also directed all officers concerned to submit a comprehensive report regarding details of security provided along with justification, details of security withdrawn from unauthorised persons with an affidavit by all units of the Sindh police that no security was provided to a person who was not entitled to it.

However, people in 12 categories are entitled to security. They are president and former presidents; prime minister and former prime ministers; Senate chairman, National Assembly speaker, speakers of provincial assemblies; chief minister and visiting chief ministers; governor and visiting governors; provincial and federal ministers; judges of apex courts and lower courts; chief secretary, home secretary, secretary to the CM, secretary to the governor, commissioners, deputy commissioners, senior police officers of the rank of SP and above; persons having security threat duly conveyed by the home department in writing and security provided under the orders of honourable courts.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2018