Bannu police revolt over seven officials’ transfers

Police personnel in Bannu staged a protest on Tuesday against the transfer of seven Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police officials to other districts, with the dispute disrupting policing and traffic management in parts of the district.

The protest was organised after the Police Peace Committee called on affected personnel to gather at the police lines and suspend their duties. Similar calls were reportedly made by peace committees in Lakki Marwat and Tank.

The protesters are demanding that the transfer orders be reviewed or withdrawn. They have warned that the protest could be expanded if their demands are not addressed.

Head of the Bannu Peace Committee Hazratullah said the boycott would continue until the transfer orders were cancelled. He said members of the peace committees had worked alongside police to maintain security and restore peace in Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Tank.

The boycott reportedly affected security arrangements at several important government and sensitive locations. The absence of traffic personnel also caused congestion at various points in Bannu and Lakki Marwat, leaving commuters facing delays.

The transfer orders were issued by the Peshawar Central Police Office on the directions of the Additional Inspector General. Seven personnel were moved to different districts and units.

Under the orders, Head Constable Nisar Ali was transferred from Police Lines Lower Dir to PTS Swat. Constable Ghulam Abbas Khan was moved from Elite Force Peshawar to Haripur, while Constable Muhammad Arif was transferred from Elite Force Peshawar to Dera Ismail Khan.

Constable Shafiullah was transferred from Investigation Bannu to Swat. Constable Muhammad Atif Khan was moved from Elite Force Bannu to Upper Chitral.

Meanwhile, Constable Samiullah was transferred from Lakki Marwat to the Counter Terrorism Department in Peshawar, while Constable Khalid Rahman was moved from District Traffic Mobile Lakki Marwat to Shangla.

Police personnel have argued that sudden transfers to distant districts could create difficulties for the affected officials and their families. They have called for the orders to be reconsidered.

Authorities have so far not issued a detailed official response to the reported boycott or confirmed whether disciplinary action will be taken against personnel who stopped performing their duties.

IGP transfer also under review

The protest comes amid uncertainty over the appointment of a new K-P inspector general of police. The proposed transfer of IGP Zulfikar Hameed was put on hold a day earlier as the federal government sought further consultations over the candidates proposed for the post.

Provincial government sources said the list of three senior police officers submitted for consideration could be revised. One name may be removed, while another officer could potentially be added before the appointment process resumes.

A senior police official said the transfer of the current IGP was not being actively pursued for the moment because of the worsening security situation in the southern districts.

The official said the provincial police chief was therefore likely to remain in his position temporarily while consultations between the federal and provincial governments continued.