Punjab cops in a bind over transfer to ‘hard areas’

The term ‘hard areas’ refers to designated regions in the country that are recognised for being challenging to live or work in due to factors like rem­oteness, lack of infrastructure, harsh terrain, or security thr­eats. Officers posted to these areas are usually given incentives, such as a special allowance. A senior police officer told Dawn that in line with the policy announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, younger officers were previously posted to the hard areas in KP and Balochistan for a mandatory one year, in order to better prepare them for the rigours of public service. According to documents regarding officers’ nominations for transfer and the 2020 rotation policy, officers from the 48th common batch were transferred to these two provinces in light of the PM’s order, the officer said. In line with this policy, this time around, it was expected that officers from the 49th common would be called up to fill the ASP posts, following the completion of the one-year mandatory period. However, the officers now nominated for these postings include those who were encadered from the provincial service to the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) in 2020 and 2021, and have three to five years of service left. Separate notifications issued by the Establishment Division stated that BS-18 officers nominated for the postings in Balochistan include Imran Razaq, Tahir Mustafa, Imtiaz Ahmad Khan, Naeem Shahid, and Javed Ahm