LAHORE: The federal government on Tuesday issued notifications announcing changes in the senior leadership of the Punjab police, appointing Additional Inspector General Special Branch Rao Abdul Kareem as the new inspector general of police in place of Dr Usman Anwar.
A senior official had indicated a day earlier that a change at the top level of the provincial police command had been approved.
Through three separate official notifications, Dr Anwar was assigned as director general of the Federal Investigation Agency, succeeding Riffat Mukhtar, who has been transferred to the Establishment Division. In another order, Rao Abdul Kareem was formally designated as the Punjab IGP.
The Punjab police, in a message posted on X, welcomed the development and stated that under Kareem’s leadership the force would continue efforts to safeguard lives and property, improve service delivery, and strengthen law and order.
A press statement from the Punjab police noted that Kareem hails from Nawabshah and joined the Police Service of Pakistan in 1996 as an assistant superintendent of police. He is from the 24th Common of the service.
During his career, he has served as commandant of the Punjab constabulary, DIG Traffic Punjab, regional police officer Gujranwala and DIG Telecommunication. His earlier assignments included postings as ASP UT Sukkur, SDPO Sukkur City, Latifabad in Hyderabad and Chiniot.
He also performed duties as superintendent of police in Gujranwala, Lahore and Sheikhupura, and as district police officer in Mianwali, Kasur and Jhang.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, in a post on X, extended his good wishes to Dr Anwar on assuming his new responsibilities at the FIA. He said Dr Anwar’s tenure had brought notable professional reforms to the Punjab police and expressed hope for progress under his leadership at the federal agency.
Dr Anwar had been appointed Punjab IGP during a major administrative reshuffle carried out by the caretaker provincial government in January 2023. Prior to that appointment, he was serving with the National Highways and Motorway Police.
