ISLAMABAD: The government on Saturday appointed Dr Akbar Nasir Khan as the new inspector general of police (IGP) for the federal capital, replacing Mohammad Ahsan Younas.
The move comes amid heightened tensions between federal government and the opposition led by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan who is about to announce a long march on Islamabad.
“Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, a BS-20 officer of Police Service of Pakistan, presently serving in National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta), is transferred and posted as Inspector General, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police, under Interior Division, under Section 10 of the Civil Servants Act, 1973, with immediate effect and till further orders,” a notification issued by the Establishment Division stated.
Dr Nasir faces a daunting task of handling mega protest march being announced by Khan. Sources say that federal government has decided to tackle the long march with iron fist and Dr Nasir would be playing a key role in handling the ‘rioters and anarchists’.
In another notification, the Establishment Division stated that Khan’s predecessor Younas, who served in the role for less than six months, was transferred to Punjab.
Younas had been appointed as the Islamabad IGP — the capital’s second police chief in less than a year — in December 2021 by the then PTI government.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Faisal, a BS-19 officer in Islamabad police was transferred to Punjab while Lt commander (retd) Yasir Afridi, another BS-19 officer, was transferred from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police to ICT Police.
Earlier this week, Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar (a grade-22 officer) was removed from the post of inspector general of Sindh Police and Dr Kamran Fazal (a grade-21 officer) was appointed as the acting police chief of the province.
