LAHORE - Captain (retired) Arif Nawaz Khan on Monday was appointed again as Punjab Police Inspector General as Ajmad Javed Saleemi was removed abruptly.
According to a notification issued by the federal government, Capt (retired) Arif Nawaz Khan, a BS-22 officer of police service of Pakistan, presently serving as Secretary Narcotics Control Division, was transferred and posted as Provincial Police Officer, government of the Punjab.
Ajmad Javed Saleemi, a “blue-eyed” of Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, was directed to report to the federal government. Saleemi had replaced Muhammad Tahir, who was abruptly removed from the top slot after developing differences with the Punjab government over some administrative affairs in October.
During the caretaker government, Saleemi was appointed as IGP Sindh province. Then, he was transferred and posted as Commandant National Police Academy.
The federal government Monday issued a notification and removed IGP Amjad Saleemi just a few hours after Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar warned that the reluctant officers would be removed. While talking to reporters in Lahore, the CM said that it was the job of the bureaucracy to implement the government’s policies. He said the officers who would not work as per the expectations of the government would be removed from their positions.
According to sources, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar was not happy with the working of Saleemi since he was very close to Punjab Governor Sarwar. Therefore, Saleemi was removed on the request of the Punjab government. After the deadly police shooting in Sahiwal, the government was under immense pressure to remove IGP Saleemi but he was given a chance to improve police performance.
Arif Nawaz Khan who also served under former CM Shehbaz Sharif as Punjab IGP for a couple of years was transferred during the caretaker setup last year in June. The caretaker government had transferred the IGPs and Chief Secretaries of all the four provinces to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections.
Arif Nawaz Khan had joined the Police Service of Pakistan as ASP in 1986. An officer of 14th Common, Khan had also served as field officer in many districts of the Punjab province.