The Supreme Court (SC) Wednesday sought the record of transfers and postings in police department during the last eight years from the federation and the provinces, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

A three-member SC bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, heard the case related to political interference in police department of Punjab.

During the hearing, the chief justice said that the continuous transfers of police officers affected the command and performance of police.

The petitioner’s lawyer said that the transfer of the Layyah district police officer (DPO) was ordered from the Chief Minister’s House after the intervention of a local politician.

“The police had resisted the transfer, but eventually the lady DPO of Layyah gave up the charge,” he added.

“According to the data, the average term of DPO in Punjab is five months. As many as 268 DPOs have been transferred in Punjab during the last four years,” he told the court.

“Where did you get these statistics from?” Justice Ayesha Malik inquired.

The petitioner’s lawyer replied that he had obtained those statistics from the CPO office.

Justice Athar Minallah remarked that political transfers in the police affected the performance of the criminal justice system.

“According to the lawyer of the petitioner, this matter is not limited to Punjab,” the chief justice pointed out.

The court then adjourned the hearing of the case for two weeks.

 

Reporter: Amanat Gishkori