islamabad - The government on Thursday removed two senior officers of Islamabad police, a move many believed was another aftershock of the capital police failure in ending the Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasool sit-in at Faizabad in November, last year.

SSP (Operations) Sajid Kiani was transferred to Intelligence Bureau (IB) while the services of Assistant Inspector General of Police (Special Branch) Capt (R) Muhammad Ilyas were placed at the disposal of the government of Punjab.

Former IGP Islamabad, Khalid Khattak, was apparently the first casualty of the failed operation after which the government had to accept demands of the TLYR protesters. According to official sources, the government had a plan to slowly and gradually remove the police officers allegedly responsible for the failure.

A notification issued on January 18 stated that Najeeb-ur-Rehman Bugvi, a BS-19 (acting charge) officer of Police Service of Pakistan (PSP), presently serving in the National Highways and Motorways Police (NH&MP), was posted as Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations), Islamabad, with immediate effect and until further orders.

The services of Sajid Kiani were placed at the disposal of IB with immediate effect. Capt (R) Ilyas, also a BS-19 officer of the PSP, was also transferred and his services were placed at the disposal of Punjab government.

The federal government was unhappy with the performance of Islamabad police high ups during the Faizabad sit-in. According to government officials who spoke to The Nation on condition of anonymity, the police had launched the Faizabad operation without the government’s nod and the move was ill-planned as well.

Soon after the operation, the government replaced the then IG Islamabad Khalid Khattak with Sultan Azam Temuri who had been then serving as regional police officer, Gujranwala. He was directed to report to the Establishment Division with immediate effect, according to the notification issued on 6 December 2017.

Khattak, a BS-20 PSP officer was posted as IG Islamabad in April 2017. The replacement also marked the first casualty of the sit-in saga which kept life paralysed in the twin cities for over three weeks. The Islamabad police and district administration were under severe criticism for their failure to properly deal with the protesters and clearing the Faizabad interchange from them. Finally, the government had to agree to a deal with the protesters, a move seen as a retreat of the government.

Replacement of the two more officers after Khattak was very much on the cards.

However, according to the sources, Sajid Kiani was going for a course next month that was why he wanted his transfer from the SSP post.

Islamabad has a history of unceremonious ousters of the police officers. In June 2016, then interior minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan removed a senior police officer, claiming that he had done so on the basis of an ‘anonymous complaint’.

SP City, Rizwan Gondal was the fifth officer of the Islamabad police to be removed on the orders of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

According to the details, SP Gondal was having sehri with some friends at a local five-star hotel. After their meal, they got involved in an argument over the valet parking service.

According to the police sources, the valet staff refused to bring the officer’s vehicle around; instead asked him to walk over to the parking lot and claim the vehicle himself.

This turned into an argument, and the hotel’s duty manager also got involved.

He used inappropriate language with the people in SP Gondal’s party, at which, the sources said, the SP introduced himself to the staff. When word of the duty manager’s behaviour reached the police control, a police team was dispatched to the hotel. Once a message is circulated via the control room, it reaches all senior-most police officers in the city.

The police party took the hotel’s duty manager to the local police station for questioning and released him an hour later.

However, a Special Branch official deployed at the hotel brought the matter to the attention of his superiors, which led to the ouster of the officer.

Earlier, the interior ministry had secured removal of SP Yasir Afridi, when the latter allegedly refused to oblige a senior official of the ministry.

In 2014, then IGP Islamabad Aftab Cheema was removed. SSP Muhammad Ali Nekokara was also removed during the same year.

Nekokara faced inquiries and was later dismissed from service after the interior minister fired him for refusing to use force against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek protesters at the Constitution Avenue.

The notification issued by the Establishment division stated that the establishment secretary had imposed major penalty of dismissal from service upon Nekokara with immediate effect on the grounds of proven charges including ‘inefficiency and misconduct’. However, Nekokara was later reinstated.

Former SP City Mustansar Feroz was removed from his post on Oct 22, 2014, according to the officials, on the basis that on Aug 20, 2014, Feroz was asked by then IGP Khalid Khattak to remain with SSP Nekokara when action was taken against the PTI and PAT protesters, but he refused to participate.

Next year, SSP Asmatullah Junejo was suspended on the pretext that he had allegedly ordered the release of an Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat office bearer, who was arrested in Tramri. However, he was later reinstated through an executive order from the prime minister after he was found innocent.