Why does everyone hate AD Khawaja?

Inspector General of Police in Sindh, AD Khawaja has recently been shuffling in and out of office. In the last four months, the Pakistan People’s Party-led government has sent him packing twice. On both times, the court and the federal government came to his rescue. 

Why won’t the Sindh government let him settle?

One reason is that the PPP is used to meddling in the affairs of its police. Anyone who tries to bring in reforms to make the police force independent is not acceptable.

The political tussle between the centre and the province has worn out Sindh’s top cop. He has recently asked the federal government to release him of his duties. Khawaja’s departure would be a huge blow to the integrity of the police, that he helped build up with an unblemished career.

After former President Asif Ali Zardari returned to the country last December, he held a meeting at the chief minister house, those privy to the development tell me. In attendance were Zardari, Khawaja, Syed Murad Ali Shah and a legal advisor. During the meeting, Khawaja told Zardari that he no longer wished to continue as the police chief and requested him to talk to the prime minister and interior minister on his behalf. The IGP, said the source, was frustrated with the recent events where he was not allowed to work independently.

A few months prior to this closed-door meeting, Khawaja had set up a board to alter the recruitment policies of the police, which in turn limit political interference. Suggestions for the draft were taken from the private Citizen Police Liaison Committee. This in itself was a first for a police chief to take input from the public. He then tasked the Pakistan Army to overlook the physical fitness training of 10,000 police constables. But many were not happy with the changes. Zardari’s sister, Faryal Talpur, reportedly asked him to disband the board immediately, which he refused. She wanted the parliamentarians to have a say in the appointment of police constable posted in their constituencies.

Others incidents that may have enraged the PPP were as follows:

1. The recovery of unlicensed weapons allegedly from the residence of Anwer Majeed's son. Majeed is a close aide of Zardari. Video of the evidence was forwarded through Whatsapp to the chief minister of Sindh, who told the top cop not to register a first information report. But Khawaja refused to listen. After which another police officer was told to show the weapons as being recovered from outside the house, not inside, to the TV crews.
2. He had an unpleasant exchange over the telephone with Talpur over the raid on the offices of Majeed. The conversation ended with both banging the phone shut.
3. He placed Karachi’s most untouchable unit in the police, SSU, under the control of the city police chief. 
4. According to those in the Sindh government, who spoke to me on the condition of anonymity, Khawaja failed in getting some of his recommended officers, namely Hussain Asghar and Kaleem Imam, on board.  While men who he wanted to be suspended and removed stayed on despite his insistence to the Sindh government.

With time Khawaja realised that the real power in Sindh belonged to people like Talpur and Majeed, not the incumbent chief ministers. In the mentioned incidents, Murad Ali Shah only acted as the messenger, with no influence or say in the decision-making. Shah, it is believed, attempted to keep Khawaja in office, which is why he asked him to go on two weeks leave last year. However, it seems, he could not get his way.

For now the police officers moral is down. Everyone wants Khawaja to stay on - his junior officers, the paramilitary, the prime minister and the interior minister – except for the PPP.

The establishment division made Khawaja’s appointment and it is they who will decide when to show him the door. The Sindh government has already sent three names to the centre to replace A.D. Khawaja.

Bilawal Bhutto of the PPP is also not happy with the way the removal was orchestrated by his party. But maybe his hands are tied too.

The writer is the senior columnist and analyst of GEO, The News and Jang.            

Twitter: @MazharAbbasGEO