Demoted officers call upon lady justice for help

Although, the Sindh government implementing the Supreme Court (SC) orders demoted all police officers to their original ranks by withdrawing shoulder promotions, the downgraded police officers have decided to knock on the door of the apex court for review of the decision.
On Tuesday, the Sindh government had issued a notification and demoted 12 remaining police officers to their original ranks. Beside this, the provincial government had decided to promote some of the police officers and claimed that the police officer in question could not be awarded promotions as they were already granted with shoulder promotions. The provincial government had awarded shoulder promotions to some policemen against their services by inserting Section 9-A in the Sindh Civil Servant Act 1973 through an ordinance in 2002.
The SC declaring shoulder promotions void, ordered the provincial government to demote all those police officers in the province who were awarded with promotions, to their original rank. Following directives of the apex court, the Sindh government had started demotion campaign and the process stopped on July 13. A month later the provincial government demoted remaining 12 police officers.
On Tuesday, Chaudhry Aslam, Farooq Awan and Niaz Khoso were relegated to their orignal rank of DSP, Muhhamad Fayyaz Khan, Raja Umar Khattab, Aamir Hameed, Muhammad Wasiq Qureshi, Rao Muhammad Aslam, Usman Asghar and Ali Raza were demoted to rank of Inspector while Mazhar Mashwani and Chaudhry Ghulam Safdar were downgraded to the rank of SIP.
The Sindh government demoted all the police officers but had prepared a plan to promote four of them by placing them on top of seniority list and would award them with promotions after the demotion campaign is completed.
The four lucky police officers included President Asif Zardari’s friend Rao Anwar, who had been demoted to rank of DSP. Rao Anwar had served as SP Malir and was demoted to rank of DSP along with 59 others police officers on July 13. He was placed on top of seniority list for SP rank and would be promoted soon after the demotion process was completed.
Crime Investigation Department (CID) Anit-Extermist Cell (AEC) chief SSP Chaudhry Aslam and Special Investigation Unit (SIU) Chief SSP Farooq Awan were also placed on top of seniority list. Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) chief SSP Niaz Khoso would also be promoted to the rank of SP very after demotion.
“If the Sindh government award shoulder promotions to only deserving police officers then we would not have to see this day,” said Raja Umar Khattab, who was demoted to the rank of Inspector. “There is no doubt that the Sindh government has started awarding the shoulder promotions with good faith but later it has included some opportunists,” the SSP added.
“We have only two options that are either to quit the police department or to go on long leave,” Khattab said, adding that “We have arrested terrorists and busted many gangs and now they are ready to take revenge from us.”
“After the Sindh government issued my demotion orders, I received a phone call directing me to withdraw security immediately,” Khurram Waris, who had been demoted to rank of Inspector from SP few days back, said.
“A lobby is working in police department who could not see us on important slots,” Waris said, adding that “We have got promotions by showing our performance but these lazy persons instead of lauding our achievement prepared a plot against us.” “Some of us have decide to knock the doors of the court for review,” Waris said, adding that “If all the demoted officers decide to resign then I will also resign.”
“We have decided to knock the door of court,” Chaudhry Aslam, who was demoted to rank of DSP, told Pakistan Today. When he was asked that he has been placed on top of seniority list for promotion very after demotion then he started laughing and disconnect phone call.