Govt halts IGP Kaleem Imam's removal till final decision on Sindh's request
"Till then Dr Kaleem Imam will continue to discharge his duties as the IGP of the province."
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – In response to a letter by the Sindh government seeking removal of Sindh Inspector General of Police Dr Kaleem Imam, the federal government has prevented transfer of IG’s charge to the Additional IG till the “competent authority” reaches a decision on the matter.
In the Centre’s letter to the Sindh’s chief secretary dated Jan. 17, the government’s establishment division stated that the issue of repatriation of IGP Imam and the posting of his replacement, as requested by the Sindh government, is being taken up by the relevant authority and once a decision is reached on the issue, it will be shared with the provincial government.
Till then Dr Kaleem Imam will continue to discharge his duties as the IGP of the province. “Look after charge of the post cannot be assigned to any additional inspector general of police by the province,” the letter read, clearly outlining that the authority to change the IGP stands with the federal government.
“In case, the competent authority decides to transfer Dr Kaleem Iman (PSP/BS-21), PPO/IGP Sindh, a stop gap arrangement on any basis can only be made by the competent authority,” the letter added.
According to the police law, an IGP could be appointed after consultations between the federal government and the government of the said province.
Section 12(2) of the Sindh (Repeal of the Police Act, 1961 and Revival of Police Order, 2002) (Amendment) Act, 2019 reads: "The provincial government or the federal government may for ‘compelling reasons,’ in consultation with each other, repatriate, or recall, the inspector general of police, as the case may be."
Sindh recommends three names to replace IG
Earlier, the Sindh government, after approval of the provincial cabinet to remove Dr Kaleem, had forwarded three names, including Ghulam Qadir Thebo, Mustaq Meher and Kamran Fazal to the Centre for the appointment of new IG of the province.
The provincial cabinet mentioned that nominated person, Thebo, “is an officer of good reputation and have worked in various positions in the province.”
Yesterday, the federation also forwarded three names for the same post, including former Karachi Police Chief Dr Amir Ahmed Shaikh, Additional Inspector General (AIG) Ghulam Nabi Memon and AIG Establishment and Training Dr Aftab Ahmed Pathan.
The chief minister had expressed that he would like to keep the police separate from the politics. He, however, had asserted that the police chief should refrain from giving political statements. “Any SSP or police officer who is fond of politics should do politics,” he had added.
The provincial government provided reasons for Dr Imam’s removal as his alleged “non-cooperation with the Sindh government, and failure to implement directives issued from the CM House,” and frequent absence in key meetings of the government.
In Sept 2018, Dr Syed Kaleem Imam was appointed as the inspector general of Sindh police.
