Want to relinquish post in the best interest of the force: AD Khawaja

KARACHI: AD Khawaja, on Wednesday, expressed his wish in the Sindh High Court (SHC) to voluntarily step down as the Inspector General Police (IGP) Sindh in the best interest of the force.

A two-member bench led by Justice Munib Akhter heard the case after the hearing was delayed on Tuesday due to a strike call by the lawyers. 

Advocate Shahab Osto submitted his credentials to the court as Khawaja's legal counsel and submitted his client’s request to end the stay order that requires Khawaja to continue to serve as the IGP Sindh.

“The conflict on the IGP Sindh's posting should be mutually resolved by all parties involved,” Osto told the court.

"AD Khawaja wishes to return to the federal government so that the provincial government can appoint an IGP of its choice," the lawyer said.

He requested the court to end the stay order and remove his client's name from the respondents' list.

"The court can neither remove Khawaja's name from the list of respondents nor end the stay order at this point," Justice Munib Akhter responded.

The Sindh High Court has stayed the order for AD Khawaja to continue performing his duties as the IGP Sindh numerous times in the past month after it asked respondents to the case to submit various documents.

A cabinet session, where Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah approved the decision to surrender the services of the IGP to the federal government, was held on April 5.

Read more: Sindh govt cannot deal with IGP like AD Khawaja: Saad Rafique

A total of 13 IGPs in Sindh were appointed between 2002 and 2017.

Khawaja was appointed the IGP on March 13, 2016.

On April 2, Sardar Abdul Majeed Dasti took charge as the acting IGP Sindh after the provincial government surrendered AD Khawaja's services to the federal government.

Earlier on April 11, the SHC extended the stay order for AD Khawaja to continue serving as the IGP Sindh until April 13.

Read more: IG Sindh AD Khawaja didn't fulfil expectations: Khursheed Shah

A notification issued by the Sindh government that replaced AD Khawaja with Sardar Abdul Majeed Dasti as the IGP was suspended by the SHC on April 3.

Will accept court’s decision on IG Sindh: CM Sindh

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Wednesday that we will accept and implement the court’s decision on the IG Sindh matter.

He also remarked that provincial government had sent names of possible candidates to federal government and asked it to appoint anyone as IG Sindh. Murad Ali Shah was speaking to the media at Sehwan, where he had gone to attend the last day of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Urs.