LAHORE: A BS-20 police repatriated from Punjab under federal government’s new rotation policy has been posted as the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) inspector general of police (IGP), a BS-22 office.

Sohail Habib Tajik is said to be the first DIG ranked police officer posted against the BS-22 post of the AJK IGP, superseding 70 senior police officers, mostly serving in Punjab and in the federal government’s institutions.

His posting is significant ahead of upcoming general election in AJK.

Mr tajik has served in Punjab as regional police officer of Dera Ghazi Khan, Sheikhupura and Rawalpindi.

The 24th common officer, Mr Tajik belongs to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the province from where so far four other police officers have been made IGPs, a senior official privy to the information told Dawn.

Of them, he said, Punjab IGP Inam Ghani, grade 21 officer, is also from the KP and has been serving against the senior position of BS-22 in the province since Sept 8, 2020.

Similarly, Gilgit-Baltistan IG Saeed Wazir from KP is a BS-20 police officer who holds the top slot of BS-21 since March 25, 2021.

The Islamabad IG is the BS-21 position which is currently being held by BS-20 officer Qazi Jamilur Rehman since Jan 9.

The Director General Intelligence Bureau (IB) is said to be another top post of the country which is being headed by Dr Salman Khan, of the KP.

Now, the appointment of KP’s another police officer Sohail Habib Tajik as AJ&K IGP has stunned the officers of the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP).

A senior police officer, Faheem Ahmad Khan, who is serving in AJK in BS-22 will now have to work under the newly appointed BS-20 IGP.

Though, he was not from the PSP or the federal government service as he had joined the AJK police. However, Mr Khan was promoted from lower rank to the additional IGP in BS-21 during his entire service in AJK.

Recently, the AJK government has approved his case for promotion to the BS-22 .

Most of the PSPs believe that a highly influential man who is holding an important slot in Prime Minister Secretariat and belonging to KP is behind the posting of junior officers of his province against senior positions.

The notification issued here on Tuesday by the Establishment Division reads: “Sohail Habib Tajik, a BS-20 officer of the Police Service of Pakistan, presently serving in the Intelligence Bureau, is transferred and his services are placed at the disposal of the Azad Government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir for appointment as inspector general of AJ&K police.”

The notification skipped mentioning the grade of the AJK IG post.

Normally, while posting a junior police officer against a senior position, the appointing authorities would state: ‘the officer is posted on his/her pay and scale’. This sentence is also missing in the notification.

Over 40 police officers of BS-21 serving mostly in Punjab, KP and federal government institutions were also ignored for the IGP of the AJ&K office.

Nearly 25 police officers of BS-20 were also senior to Tajik and are serving against various positions in all the four provinces, including Punjab, the official said.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2021