By Ikram Junaidi | 5/26/2014 12
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ISLAMABAD: Six police officers were suspended after the Sikh protesters managed to break the gate of the Parliament House on Friday.
However, all police officials who were suspended are rankers, and not a single officer from Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) was considered for suspension despite being deployed at the scene.
One ranker who was suspended wasnot even on duty on Friday as he was on leave and a PSP officer was performing duties as a substitute, Dawn has learnt.
It is pertinent to mention here that rankers are those officials who are hired either as assistant sub-inspector (ASI) or sub-inspector (SI) and then get promoted whereas PSP officers join the police force after clearing the Central Superior Service (CSS) examination and are hired as assistant superintendent of police (ASP).
A police official, requesting anonymity, said although the protesters passed through the limits of Margalla and Aabpara police stations, the PSP officers of both areas were not suspended. On the other hand, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Secretariat Fida Hussain, who is a ranker, was suspended.
`DSP Bani Gala Safeer Shah was deputed to cover the sit-in of Pakistan Tehriki-Insaf (PTI), which was taking place outside the Election Commission, but he was also suspended.
Superintendent of Police (SP) City Mustansar Feroze, who is a PSP officer, was responsible for Red Zone, but instead SP National Assembly Habibullah Niazi, who is a ranker, was suspended,` the police official said.
`Most interestingly, DSP National Assembly Khalid Virk, who was on leave on the day of the protest, was suspended instead of ASP Zahida, a PSP officer, who was on duty instead of DSP Virk,` he said.
`Moreover, SHO Bhara Kahu Sattar Shah and SHO Secretariat Abdul Rahman, both rankers, were suspended,` he said.
When contacted, DSP Khalid Virk confirmed that he was on a three-day leave and had gone to Sheikhupura. However, he said the police high-ups will definitely look into his issue.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mohanunad Ali Nekokara told Dawn that it was a wrong impression that only rankers had been suspended while the fault of the PSPs has been overlooked.
`Officers have been suspended because of a security breach. SP Mustansar Feroze was deputed at the PTI rally, so SP National Assembly Habibullah Niazi was declared responsible for the security breach,` he said.
While replying to a question, the SSP said that DSP Bani Gala Safeer Shah was deputed in front of the Election Commission, where PTI was protesting, and had four reserves of 80 officials. Thus, he should have stopped the Sikh protesters.
However he said he was not aware whether DSP Khalid Virk was on leave because SSP Security Division Malik Matloob deals with leaves.