KARACHI, Pakistan: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday ordered immediate restoration of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh Allah Dino Khawaja.
In response to a petition filed by civil rights activist Karamat Ali through his lawyer Barrister Faisal Siddiqui, a division bench of SHC headed by Justice Munib Akhter in its short order on Monday suspended the Sindh government’s notification of A.D. Khawaja’s removal from the Post.
The bench also ordered the Additional IGP Sardar Abdul Majeed Dasti to relinquish his charges as the Acting Chief of Sindh police.
On Saturday evening that the Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Sindh government had surrendered services of A.D. Khawaja back to the federal government. The Sindh government cited no reason for the removal of Khawaja; however, Abdul Majeed Dasti was assigned to command the Sindh Police as an institutional arrangement.
The SHC bench observed that removal of A.D. Khawaja was also violation of the SHC order issued in December 2016.
Later, the bench adjourned the hearing till April 6 and issued notices to the Sindh government and other respondents.
Talking to media after the hearing, the lawyer of A.D. Khawaja said that IGP Sindh can be removed from office on the orders of the federal government and not the provincial government.