KARACHI: The Sindh high Court (SHC) on Tuesday directed provincial Inspector General of Police (IGP) Allah Dino Khawaja to continue his duty by extending its interim order that suspended the Sindh government’s notification of removing Khawaja.
A division bench, headed by Justice Munib Akhtar, extended its order for the second time till April 13.
Earlier, on April 6, the bench has passed similar directives and asked AD Khawaja to carry out his duty as the provincial police chief.
The court was hearing the contempt application filed by the civil rights campaigners who have approached the high court, requesting it to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the Sindh chief secretary and others for removing Khawaja as police chief despite restraining orders of the SHC.
Earlier in December 2016, the SHC directed the provincial government not to remove Khawaja after he was sent on forced leave; however, he resumed the charge of his office in a couple of days.
On March 31, the provincial government surrendered the services of AD Khawaja to the federal government and appointed Additional IG Sardar Abdul Majeed Dasti, a grade-21 officer, as acting IG.
Following the notification, the civil rights campaigners, including Karamat Ali, Shehzad Roy, Nazim Fida Hussain Haji, Orangi Pilot Project Research and Training Institute, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research and others have approached the SHC through their lawyer Faisal Siddiqui and requested it to initiate the contempt proceedings against the government official for flaying its orders.
The lawyer submitted in the contempt plea that the provincial government’s notification was a complete violation of the court orders, he argued while requesting the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the provincial authorities for disobeying its orders.
Sindh Advocate General Zameer Ghumro opposed the plea, arguing that matters relating to transfer and posting were within the provincial domain hence it was not the violation of the court orders. ”The government has just appropriately exercised its powers by doing so.”
In the last hearing conducted on April 6, the provincial law officer informed the court that the Sindh cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has approved that AD Khawaja’s services to be surrendered to the federal government.
He told the judges that it was also decided in the cabinet meeting to appoint additional IGP Sardar Abdul Majeed Dasti as new police chief of the province.
