Several police officers on Tuesday applied for leave in order to "come out of the [...] shock" caused by the registration of an FIR and arrest of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Mohammad Safdar, according to Dawn.
The officers include at least two additional inspectors general, seven deputy inspectors general and six senior superintendents of Sindh Police. Among them are Special Branch AIG Imran Yaqoob, Forensic Science Division AIG Dr Samiulah Soomro Counter Terrorism Department DIG Omer Shahid Hamid, Headquarters DIG Saqib Ismail Memon, Hyderabad DIG Naeem Ahmed Shaikh, East Zone (Karachi) DIG Capt (r) Asim Khan, South Zone (Karachi) DIG Javed Akbar Riaz, Larkana DIG Nasir Aftab, Special Branch DIG Qamar-uz-Zaman and SSP Intelligence Tauqeer Muhammad Naeem, Sukkur SSP Irfan Ali Samo, Anti-Violent Crime Cell SSP Abdullah Ahmad, Badin SSP Shabir Ahmed Sethar, SSP Korangi Capt (r) Faisal Abdullah Chachar and East Zone (Karachi) SSP Sajid Amir Sudozai.
As per the applications submitted to Sindh Inspector General Mushtaq Mahar, the officials said that it had become hard for them to "discharge [their] duties in a professional manner".
"It is respectfully submitted in the recent episode of registration of FIR against Capt (R) Safdar in which police high command has not only been ridiculed and mishandled but all ranks of Sindh Police have been demoralised and shocked. In such a stressful situation, it is quite difficult for me to discharge my duty in a professional manner, wrote Imran Yaqoob Minhas, Additional Inspector General of Police, Special Branch Sindh wrote in his application.
He added, "In order to come out of this shock and settle down, I may kindly be granted 60 days of leave with effect from October 26."
According to Dawn, at least three station house officers (SHO) also applied for a leave of absence, citing similar reasons. The applicants include Korangi SHO Inayatullah, Shahra-i-Noorjehan SHO Imdad Ali Khowaja and Tipu Sultan SHO Shahrafat Khan.
PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz appreciated the police "I salute the Sindh Police!" she tweeted, alongside a quote of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
This comes a day after the arrest and subsequent release on bail of Safdar in Karachi.
( With inputs from ANI )
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