Hafizabad DPO changed after ‘row with MPA’s son over office toilet use’

LAHORE: A BS-18 police officer, Kamran Hamid, was ‘removed’ from the post of Hafizabad district police officer (DPO), allegedly following an altercation with a local MPA of the ruling party, who is also close to the politically influential Tarar family, after he was held guilty in an inquiry conducted by Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abdul Kareem on the orders of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

The CM had directed the Punjab police chief to hear both parties and find out who was responsible for the “dispute over the use of the DPO office’s toilet by the PML-N MPA’s son”.

Giving details, a senior police officer told Dawn on the condition of anonymity that the dispute erupted when PML-N MPA Shahid Bhatti visited the Hafizabad DPO’s office, along with his young son and some complainants from his constituency.

He says that the MPA had visited the office of (now former) DPO Kamran Hamid as the CM had issued instructions to ruling party parliamentarians to get locals’ police-related matters resolved in the presence of the head of the respective district police.

The officer says that as the meeting was underway, the young son of the PML-N MPA entered the office, while attending a call on his mobile phone. He says the MPA snubbed his son for using a mobile phone in the DPO’s office and told him to disconnect the call.

The official says that the youth later went to the retiring room of the DPO, probably to use his toilet. As he came out of the retiring room, the DPO inquired as to why he used his “personal” washroom without his permission.

The MPA’s son replied in the same tone that it was a public office, and not the DPO’s “personal” washroom. The DPO was not expecting such an embarrassing response in the visitors’ presence.

The officer says that both sides exchanged words over the issue and reportedly the police officer, in a fit of rage, asked the MPA’s son to “get lost”.

The MPA, he says, intervened, advising his son to stay calm and leave the office, in an attempt to defuse the tension.

As the MPA left the DPO’s office, some of the area people, who were accompanying him, declared the DPO’s conduct as an insult to “a key political figure of the area”, fanning the tension.

Subsequently, the officer says, a leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) uploaded a critical social media post, titled “get lost”, along with a picture of a toilet commode, further fanning the dispute.

The officer says that the MPA later brought the matter to the notice of PML-N senior politician Saira Afzal Tarar, who took it up with the Punjab chief minister.

Meanwhile, the influential political family began lobbying for the DPO’s transfer, as the issue became talk of the town in Hafizabad, where the PML-N workers had already launched a vigorous social media campaign against the police officer.

Later, the MPA, along with his son, visited the office of Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abdul Kareem and complained about the “unacceptable attitude” of the Hafizabad DPO.

On being inquired, the DPO reportedly briefed the IGP that he had only objected to the use of his office washroom because some of his personal belongings were lying in his retiring room, besides official files.

However, the officer says, the IGP was dissatisfied by the explanation given by the police officer and reported his findings to the CM.

He says that in the light of the IGP’s report, Mr Kamran Hamid was later transferred from the post on CM’s orders. He was posted in the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA), a relatively low-profile position.

Soon after the transfer, a post attributed to a member of the Tarar family appeared on social media, saying “now you get lost” — an apparent taunt to the outgoing police officer.

The episode was widely discussed on social media, with many users questioning Mr Hamid’s conduct, also sparking a debate on the “right” of the members of the public to use govt officials’ washrooms.

There are reports that a group of senior police officers came out in the defence of Kamran Hamid and requested the IGP to post the young officer against a better slot for the sake of the dignity of the department and the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP).

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2026 ...