In major Punjab police shake-up, Rao Abdul Kareem named new IG

• New IG seasoned officer with three decades of experience.
• Kareem joined police service through CSS in 1996. 
• Dr Anwar served as Punjab IGP for three years. 

The Punjab government has decided to appoint Rao Abdul Kareem as the new inspector general (IG) of Punjab Police, replacing Dr Usman Anwar in a significant reshuffle of the province's law enforcement leadership, according to the sources in the provincial government.

The decision was taken following consultations between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, according to the sources.

The incoming police chief, Kareem, is a career police officer with nearly three decades of experience in law enforcement and administration. He joined the Police Service of Pakistan in 1996 after qualifying through the Central Superior Services (CSS) examination.

Over the years, he has held several key field and command positions and has served as superintendent of police (SP) in Lahore and as district police officer (DPO) in Mianwali, Kasur and Jhang, gaining experience in both urban and rural policing.

His senior leadership roles have included regional police officer (RPO) Gujranwala and deputy inspector general (DIG) Telecommunications and Transport in Sindh. He has also worked as an additional inspector general with the Punjab Highway Patrol, overseeing highway security and traffic enforcement across the province.

During the past year, Kareem has been serving as inspector general of the Special Branch in Punjab, a post focused on intelligence and internal security. 

Earlier in his career, he also held the position of director of immigration at the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), where he dealt with border management and immigration matters.

Meanwhile, sources within the federal government have indicated that Dr Anwar is likely to be appointed as director general of the FIA.

The outgoing police chief had been serving in the office since January 24, 2023, and previously worked as the Director of FIA Lahore.

Dr Anwar, who joined the Punjab Police in 1995, was serving as additional inspector general of the Motorway Police before being appointed Punjab IGP.

Anwar has held several positions in Pakistan’s police force, including additional IG of the Special Branch in Punjab and DPO of Okara and Sargodha.