PESHAWAR: A senior deputy inspector general (DIG) of police, Muhammad Ijaz Khan, has been suspended for over two years in an incident that did not happen in his area. Four senior police officers have been under suspension for over two years in an unprecedented action in the wake of an attack on the bus of Chinese engineers in Bisham, Shangla district, in March 2024.
A senior officer, DIG Zafar Ali, even retired after attaining the age of superannuation during the suspension. Five Chinese engineers working on the Dasu Dam were killed in a bomb attack on the bus of foreigners in Bisham on March 27, 2024. The driver of the bus, who was a local, was also killed in the attack.
After the incident, the federal government suspended four senior police officials, including regional police officer Hazara Muhammad Ijaz Khan, Commandant Special Security Unit Muhammad Zafar Ali, district police officer Lower Kohistan Muhammad Suleman, and DPO Upper Kohistan Jamil Akhtar.
It was learnt that one of the DPOs was on leave on the day of the incident. A letter issued by the Establishment Division U.O No 1/16/2024-D-111 on April 14, 2024, stated that under the prime minister’s approval, four PSP officers were placed under suspension for a period of 120 days under Rule 5 of the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020.
They were not reinstated even after the passage of two years. It was said that the legal timeliness of the inquiry proceedings was violated. Another interesting aspect was that no action was taken against any police official after a similar attack on foreigners in Karachi months later.
The Establishment Division also asked the federal government to review the decision to suspend RPO Hazara Mohammad Ijaz Khan, saying the preliminary inquiry did not indicate any lapse on his part.
Another letter proposed that the suspension of Ijaz be withdrawn, as he served as RPO Hazara and was not responsible for the attack that took place in Bisham. But the federal government paid no heed to it.
DIG Zafar retired from service during the suspension. The other three officers are still under suspension.Many questioned as to why a senior DIG has remained suspended for over two years despite the fact that the attack did not happen in his jurisdiction. Bisham does not fall under RPO Hazara. Ijaz is a senior officer of the Police Service of Pakistan who has served as capital city police officer in Peshawar, RPO Malakand, RPO Hazara, and in other important positions in KP Police. He has also served in the Federal Investigation Agency and other forces.
Ijaz, Jamil, and Suleman are suspended for over two years, at a time when the province is short of senior officers for posting to improve the deteriorating law and order.
