MM News

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday cancelled transfer orders and reinstated Ghulam Mehmood Dogar as CCPO Lahore. A three judge bench headed by Justice Ijaz ul Hassan gave the verdict.

Interestingly, the SC had earlier on December 02 (Friday) reinstated Dogar as the Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) after he was suspended by the Federal government the previous month.

The Supreme Court on Thursday (Feb 16) had summoned the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) again over the former CCPO Lahore transfer. On SC’s question, the Punjab government counsel told the supreme court that the former CCPO Lahore was transferred with ECP’s permission.

During the course of proceedings on Friday (today),the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) secretary said the Punjab government made a verbal request to transfer Dogar on Jan 23, adding that it received written application on Jan 24. The secretary said the electoral body accepted the request on Feb 6.

To which, Justice Muneeb remarked the ECP received verbal request, approved and then it was implemented. “Does government institutions run on verbal communication?” he questioned.

The SC passed remarked that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and not the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) had the authority to issue transfer orders. At one occasion, Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan addressed DG Law of the ECP, saying “you are the premium body to hold elections in the country and it’s your job to conduct elections in the country, it’s your only job.”

On Feb 14, the counsel for the petitioner said that Dogar was transferred again despite the court order. On January 23, Dogar was asked to report to the Service and General Administration Punjab, he added. No one has appeared on behalf of the Federation even today despite the Supreme Court issuing notices twice.

Addressing Additional Attorney General Aamir Rehman, Justice Ijaz had said that Dogar was transferred again despite the court orders. The AAG pleaded with the court to grant time as he had no information over the matter. The court sought report from the federal government on the transfer of Ghulam Mahmood Dogar.

Case Background:

Ghulam Mehmood Dogar, the BS-21 officer was at the centre of the feud between the federal and the then Punjab government under Chaudhry Parvez Elahi. The issue of his transfer stemmed in September 2022 when the federal government recalled his services in a surprise move after he booked two PML-N ministers and other officials on terrorism charges. However, the move was blocked by Mr Elahi, then Punjab chief minister, saying the federal government could not transfer him. Later, the PDM-led federal government suspended him in November last for failing to ensure security of the Governor House.

The CCPO challenged his suspension in the Lahore High Court but it declared his petition inadmissible due to limitations of its jurisdiction. He later moved the Federal Services Tribunal (FST) where a single bench reinstated him on Nov 10.

Later, the Establishment Division challenged the FST’s Nov 10 verdict, requesting the bench to roll back the previous decision of the tribunal and form a large bench to hear the case. On Nov 25, a two-member FST bench suspended an earlier decision of reinstating Dogar as CCPO.

The matter was then taken to the apex court which restored him on Dec 2, 2022. Then on Jan 23, the caretaker Punjab government replaced Dogar with Bilal Siddique Kamyana as the new Lahore CCPO.