SHC orders authorities to take back charge of IG Sindh from Kamran Fazal

• Court issues show-cause notice to Fazal on his "unwillingness" to perform in the case.
• Says present role/charge of the IG Sindh may be assigned forthwith to an “efficient” officer.
• "The Secretary Establishment Division is directed to immediately look into this matter," order sheet reads.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court directed the authorities concerned to take back charge of the post of Sindh inspector-general from Kamran Fazl and assign it to an "efficient" officer instead, as the court reprimanded Fazal over the stalled progress in the Dua Zahra case.

The court issued a show-cause notice to Fazal on his "unwillingness" to perform in the case.

It is worth mentioning that on May 18, the Sindh government had given additional charge of the Sindh IG post to Additional IG Dr Kamran Fazal — an officer of the Police Service of Pakistan (BS-21) — after sacking Mushtaq Mahar from the post.

“In a manifest demonstration of such callous conduct, the court directed the IG Sindh to intervene and recover the child. On 24.05.2022, the IG appeared in court and submitted a rather fanciful story that a mobile signal, allegedly of one of the abductors, was being monitored across the length and breadth of the country, traversing through Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir, however, other than that no effort whatsoever was taken to find/recover the child,” the court order read.

It further noted that despite it being apparent that no serious effort had been expended to recover the child, this court exercised restraint and accepted the IG’s undertaking that the child would be recovered before the next date.

“It remains our tentative assessment that the IG Police, Kamran Fazal, remains unwilling to perform his duty, despite repeated direct orders,” it noted.

The court asked Fazal for an explanation on why the proceeding may not be initiated. The SHC also directed Fazal to appear before the court in person along with his affidavit at the next hearing.

“In so far as his ability to perform his duty is concerned, we feel it’s prudent to defer the said issue for due consideration to the executive. The Secretary Establishment Division is directed to immediately look into this matter and form an opinion, within a reasonable time, as to whether there ought to be an inquiry to determine whether Kamran Fazal is fit to hold a position of responsibility concerned with the lives and liberty of citizens,” the order sheet read.

Meanwhile, the court said that the present role/charge of the IG Sindh may be assigned forthwith to an “efficient” officer and the officer would be conveyed the court’s directions to produce the missing child on the next date of hearing.