Resistance to govt officials costs IG Motorway Police his post

A Grade 21 officer of the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) Salman Chaudhry has been removed from the post of Inspector General (IG) of the Motorway Police (MP) after reportedly resisting the transfer of administrative control of the National Highway and Motorway Police (NH&MP) from the Ministry of Communication to the Ministry of Interior, Dawn News reported on Thursday.

During a recent top brass meeting chaired by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif in Islamabad, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi favoured a proposal to shift the administrative control from the Ministry of Communication to the Ministry of Interior. However, Mr Salman Chaudhry had opposed the proposal, officials said.

Following his removal as IG MP, the federal government instructed Mr Chaudhry to report to the Establishment Division until further orders.

Meanwhile, Rifat Mukhtar has been appointed as IG MP. 

According to officials, Mr Chaudhry emphasised that NHMP, under the control of the Ministry of Communication, had attained a distinctive position in the country through effective enforcement by applying the highest standards of professionalism, fearing the transferring process could undermine or compromise its current standing.

It was a surprise for Mohsin Naqvi when Khawaja Asif apparently supported Mr Chaudhry's stance, maintaining that NHMP’s administrative control should be under the control of the Ministry of Communication.

Reportedly, differences between the two federal ministers also led to the transfer of the Grade 21 officer.

An official privy to the development told Dawn News that Chaudhry had differences with the Minister of Communication Abdul Aleem Khan over recruitment in various ranks.

According to the sources, Mr Chaudhry is one of the few senior policemen who had served in all four provinces at various senior positions and was known among police circles as an upright officer.

“He survived two earlier attempts to transfer him. However, he couldn’t survive a third time,” said sources.

As per sources, Mr Chaudhry was informed that as a gesture of goodwill, he would be transferred in mid-February 2025 after completing one year as IG MP; however, senior police officers were shocked by his early transfer.

 
The federal government appointed Mr Salman Chaudhry as IG MP on 10 January 2024.

There is an unwritten understanding in the bureaucracy that if an officer is transferred after completing a year at his post, it is considered a routine matter.

Ministry of Communications is the central policy-making body and administrative authority in road infrastructure, road transportation, provision of communication links between individuals and businesses, provision of research & training to relevant stakeholders and policing on National Highways & Motorways.