PM Imran Khan replaces Punjab chief secretary and IG, once again

LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday once again changed Punjab’s chief secretary and inspector general of the police.
This is the fourth time that a new chief secretary has been appointed and the sixth time that a Punjab IGP has been changed since 2018.

According to officials, PM Imran consulted Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar in a high-level meeting before making the important changes. The sources also said that CM Buzdar had sent multiple names to PM Imran Khan before the appointments.

Punjab’s new top bureaucrat

The premier has appointed former finance secretary Dr Kamran Afzal Ali as the new chief secretary in place of Jawad Rafique Malik. He will be the fifth person to hold the position of chief secretary Punjab in the last three years.

“With the approval of the federal government, Mr Kamran Ali Afzal, a BS-22 officer of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), presently posted as secretary Industries and Production Division, is transferred and posted as chief secretary, Government of the Punjab, with immediate effect and until further orders,” the notification reads.

Meanwhile, Malik has been made secretary Industries and Production division.

When the Buzdar-led government took charge of Punjab in August 2018, Akbar Hussain Durrani was serving as its chief secretary.

Durrani, who was appointed in June 2018, was removed by PM Imran in October 2018 and was replaced by Yousaf Naseem Khohkar, a BS-22 officer of PAS.

Khohkar served in the position for just over a year and was replaced by Major (retd) Azam Suleman Khan in November 2019.

Azam could serve as Punjab top bureaucrat for only five months before he was replaced by Malik.

Interestingly, Malik was the batch-mate of former premier Nawaz Sharif’s principal secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad from the 15th Common Training Programme.

Punjab’s new IG

PM Imran also appointed Punjab Safe Cities Authority Director General, Additional Inspector General of Police Rao Sardar Ali Khan as the new top cop of the province. Sardar now becomes the seventh person to hold the post of IG Punjab in the last three years.

“With the approval of Federal Cabinet, Sardar Ali Khan, a BS-21 officer of Police Service of Pakistan, presently serving under government of Punjab, is transferred and posted as Provincial Police Officer (PPO), Government of the Punjab, in his own pay and scale, with immediate effect and until further orders,” read another notification.

On the other hand, Ghani has been transferred and posted as the IG of Pakistan Railways Police.

When Buzdar took charge as CM, Dr Syed Kaleem Imam was serving as the IG, he was appointed on June 13, 2018, and was removed on September 11, 2018. He was replaced by Muhammad Tahir.

Tahir belonged to 16th CTP and had previously served as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s top cop. He only served as IG for a month and was removed from the post on October 15, 2018.

Tahir was replaced by Amjad Javed Saleemi who served as the IG from October 15, 2018, to April 17, 2019.

Saleemi was able to hold the post for only six months and was replaced by Captain (retd) Arif Nawaz.

Seven months later, Nawaz was also transferred on November 28, 2019, and was replaced by Shoaib Dastagir. He had taken charge of the post on November 28, 2019.

However, on September 9, 2020, Dastagir was also shown the door after developing differences with the PTI government over the appointment of former Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh.

The PTI government had appointed Umar Sheikh as the Lahore CCPO without his consultation and was removed from his post when he asked CM Buzdar to transfer Sheikh.

Dastagir was replaced by Inam Ghani as the IGP on September 9, 2020. Now, he’s also been shown the door and Rao Sardar Ali Khan has been made Punjab’s top cop.

More shuffle on the cards

Officials in the CM house have told Bol News that changes within the police and Punjab administration are likely to happen as well now.

“It won’t end here as in addition to the chief secretary and IG Punjab, RPOs, DPOs and senior administrative officers of Punjab, including Lahore and other districts of Punjab, are also likely to be replaced,” a senior official from the CM office told BOL News.

The senior official added that CM Buzdar has also reviewed the performance of the provincial cabinet and a reshuffle is also on the cards.