The federal government has appointed a senior police as the security officer for ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. It is a deviation from the standard procedure. According to the ‘Blue Book,’ only the sitting prime minister and the president are entitled to the services of a BS-18 officer of the rank of superintendent of police (SP).However, the government has allowed Mr. Sharif to avail this privilege. On Monday (August 7th), the Pakistani media Dawn made lead news on this issue.

A notification issued by the Establishment Division on Aug 4 said: “Muhammad Zeshan Reza, a BS-18 officer of Police Service of Pakistan, presently posted as the chief security officer (CSO) to the prime minister, has been transferred and posted as security officer to the former PM with immediate effect till further orders.”
Interestingly, another SP-ranked officer is already heading a force of 1,100 highly-trained personnel from Lahore police’s security division at Mr. Sharif’s Jati Umra residence in Raiwind.
One of the senior police officials said it appeared to be a ‘violation’ of the standard operating procedures laid down in the Blue Book for the security of the president and the prime minister.