Asif Shaikh In the wake of Sindh police chief Kaleem Imam’s request for removal of the Umerkot SP and Deputy Commissioner from their posts to ensure transparency in upcoming by-poll on a provincial assembly seat in the district, the Sindh government approached the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday to remove him from the post. Murtaza Wahab, the dviser to the Sindh chief minister on Lawas well as the provincial government’s spokesperson, said the IGP Kaleem Imam seemed to hold personal grudge against Umerkot SP Aijaz Ahmed Shaikh. He said the provincial government has already asked the federal government for removal of IGP Imam.The PPP’s rivals want to use the Sindh top cop to influence the by-poll, he claimed, adding free and fair by-election can’t be held in the presence of the incumbent IG. It is noteworthy that the police chief earlier on Feb 20 wrote a letter to the provincial election commissioner Sindh to transfer SP Shaikh to ensure transparency in the by-elections in PS-52 Umerkot district. The by-election will be held in PS-52 Umerkot on March 17, according to the ECP schedule. The seat in question fell vacant after the death of former PPP MPA Syed Ali Mardan Shah on January 19.
