AIG Yasin a 'brother officer', no issues with him or anyone: IGP Ghani

Newly appointed Inspector General of Police (IGP) for Punjab Inam Ghani on Wednesday said that Additional Inspector General Finance Tariq Masood Yasin is a "brother officer" and he has no issues with him or any other officer.

Addressing his first press conference since his appointment a day earlier, IG Ghani said that AIG Yasin was a batch mate and much like the roll numbers in schools and colleges, is senior in terms of the roll number.

“Tariq Masood or any other officer, especially one of his level of seniority — a grade 20, 21 22 officer — has the right to voice any concerns regarding his level of comfort and we will try to adjust him wherever he is comfortable," said IGP Ghani.

Motioning to an officer seated next to him, Captain Zafar, IGP Ghani that the officer was two batches senior but has given him respect and is willing to work with him.

He said that nowhere are there such issues where seniors and juniors don’t wish to work with one another. He said Tariq Masood is a “brother officer” and there were no such issues.

IGP Ghani said if one were to read the general police area definition, it has been underlined within police rules that in all the city districts, all the Capital City Police Officers (CCPO) will perform their duties under the provincial police officer.

"All of us are government servants and we do not [get assigned] anywhere by choice. The government has posted me, other officers have been posted by the government, and so has the CCPO.

"He has his own job description and his own responsibilities. And if he fulfils those well, I will remain comfortable with him," the IGP said.

He went on to say: "All of us sitting here, whether we are field officers or staff officers, the government posts us, pays us remuneration and we are duty-bound to fulfil the demands of the role."

His remarks came after a day earlier, in the aftermath of his appointment, it was reported that AIG Yasin, in a letter sent to the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) headquarters, said that he will not work under the newly appointed IGP.

It was also reported that the much-debated controversy over the removal of Shoaib Dastagir — IGP Ghani's predecessor — arose after an alleged dispute between Dastagir and the Lahore CCPO Umar Sheikh. Sheikh had allegedly spoken out against the former IGP in a meeting of police officers.

Speaking of the said meeting in his briefing today, IGP Ghani said: "As far as the meeting goes, the Central Police Office is like a home to the police officers. If they sit here and meet here, it is their prerogative, their internal affair."

"If an officer goes out on the streets and blocks roads, he will be held liable like any other citizen," he added.

He said he had met a few officers and no one had spoken out against the government or declared that they refuse to work. He said he will meet field officers too.

“No one spoke out earlier either against the provincial or the federal government. The IGP (Dastagir) was requested to have an inquiry be carried out in the matter (of Sheikh's alleged remarks against him).

Speaking of the APC and whether any police action will be invoked, he said that the police are “policy implementers”. Whatever policy the government lays out will be implemented by the police.

Responding to a question regarding the writ petition against him, he said he is a government employee above anything. "The government issued a notification and I left my Multan charge and came down here."

He said he is a student of law and for him the court of law and the government’s decision is of paramount importance.

IGP Ghani said that he has come into the cross-hairs on the petition of a section officer but "if they tell me to go to Islamabad, I will go.”

Speaking of the province- wide deployment of police officers, he said there were about 180,000 uniformed officers sanctioned by the government.

“I am coming from South Punjab right now, which is half of Punjab in terms of area and a third when it comes to population, and over there we have 25,000-26,000 officers stationed, and the rest is in North Punjab.

He said the police force is stretched thin everywhere. “We are hard-pressed everywhere. Our number of deployments are not enough.”

He said that two positive developments were the government’s decision to sanction more police patrolling vehicles which will now be “immediately new” and the recruitment of officers.

“Our people continue to retire and we are low on officers routinely. So we seek to fill our sanctioned strength and it will soon be replenished."