Giving in to the election
commission''s directives, Inspector General of Police, Sindh, Azhar Ali Farooqui, has withdrawn
the transfer orders of Sukkur and Tando Muhammad Khan district police officers.
Both police officers have assumed their charge after the withdrawal of their transfer orders. The Pakistan People''s Party Parliamentarians had seen these transfers as part of alleged pre-poll rigging. Posting and transfers of civil servants have been banned by the election
commission in the run-up to the Feb 18 general elections. Chief Election
Commissioner Justice (retd) Qazi Muhammad Farooq had taken notice of the complaints by the opposition parties, particularly the PPPP about the large-scale postings and transfers in Sindh police department.
He had directed the IGP to furnish a report as to why these transfers and postings had been made after the schedule for general elections was announced. Expressing his dissatisfaction over the report afterwards, the chief election commissioner had asked for the withdrawal of the IGP''s orders. Commission Secretary Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad confirmed to The News that the IG intimated the chief election commissioner here on Friday that the orders had been withdrawn and DPOs concerned reposted to their previous districts.
In another development, the election commission was informed that the Punjab chief secretary had formed a two-member committee comprising additional chief secretary and home secretary to look into PPP''s complaints against certain candidates of the Pakistan Muslim League and "pro-PML" Nazims for alleged violation of the code of conduct and misuse of the state machinery. A PPP delegation led by the party''s Punjab President Shah Mehmud Qureshi, who himself is a contestant, had met the provincial election commissioner recently and apprised him of the party''s concerns.
The provincial election commissioner had brought these into the notice of the chief election commissioner who called for investigation into the same. Meanwhile, the election commission secretary contacted Pakistan Muslim League President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to remind him about his reply to a notice the chief election commissioner had sent him following the appearance of a highly controversial advertisement in the media.
"Yes, I talked to the PML president today and reminded him of the notice and he has promised that the reply would be dispatched by Monday," the secretary told The News. Asked what action could be taken against the PML for the ad, he said it would be decided after their reply to the notice was received.