Senior Punjab police officer 'penalised for standing up to political juggernaut'.

LAHORE -- In what appears to be height of political victimisation, the Punjab government has not only twice removed BS-18 police officer Maaz Zafar within a short span but also surrendered his services and the very next day relieved him of his duties, directing him to report to the Establishment Division till further orders.

The 'swift' action against the police officer reveals a bitter background as he was first prematurely removed from his two positions and then surrendered from Punjab on the directions issued by none other than the Prime Minister Office. The move is a classic example of chronic political interference in the police operational matters, undermining the autonomy of the force.

It is also evident from fact that some provincial political figures engaged the two top offices - the PM office and the Punjab CM office -- for repatriation of Maaz Zafar to the federal government. Many other appointments in regions and districts have been made by the PML-N against the consent of recently transfererd IGP Rao Sardar Ali Khan, which is said to be one of the reasons which prompted Khan to refuse to serve as the police chief.

An official said the action against Maaz Zafar had been criticised by a group of retired inspector generals of police (IGPs) who declare that 'the police officers are being ruled by a lot of masters'. In February 2021, he said, several serving and retired IGPs had prepared a draft of reforms while pointing out a set of problems including the political interference in police's operational matters. They had joined heads under the 'Police Awam Saath Saath Programme' launched jointly by the Punjab police and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).

He said Rao Sardar Ali Khan transferred Maaz Zafar from Okara district and posted him SSP operations in Gujranwala in May last, elevating him in the light of his performance reports. As he assumed charge in Gujranwala, some political elites in the Punjab government showed serious concerns over his appointment and pressurised the CM Secretariat to remove him from the field assignment.

The official said the former IGP resisted the move when the CM Secretariat directed him to take action against the officer, conveying that Zafar had registered cases against some parliamentarians during his posting in Lahore back in 2018 and that he enjoyed a good reputation. The issue remained a matter of discussion between the IGP and the CM office for a couple weeks as the local politicians...