The federal government on Tuesday notified a significant reshuffle in the country’s senior police leadership, appointing Rao Abdul Kareem as the new Inspector General of Punjab Police and transferring outgoing Punjab police chief Dr Usman Anwar to the federal level as Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
The changes were notified through three separate official notifications issued by the Establishment Division. Rao Abdul Kareem replaces Dr Usman Anwar as Punjab’s police chief, while Dr Anwar takes over as DG FIA. The incumbent FIA chief, Raja Riffat Mukhtar, has been transferred and directed to report to the Establishment Division, with subsequent posting to the Narcotics Control Division.
Punjab Police also confirmed the appointment in a post on X, expressing confidence that under Rao Abdul Kareem’s leadership, the force would further strengthen law and order, improve public service delivery, and enhance the protection of citizens’ lives and property.
Rao Abdul Kareem belongs to the 24th Common of the Police Service of Pakistan and hails from Nawabshah. He joined the police service in 1996 as an Assistant Superintendent of Police. Over nearly three decades, he has served in a wide range of operational, administrative, and command positions across Punjab and Sindh.
His career includes postings as District Police Officer in Jhang, Mianwali, and Kasur, as well as Superintendent of Police in Lahore, Gujranwala, and Sheikhupura. He has also served as Regional Police Officer Gujranwala, DIG Traffic Punjab, DIG Telecommunication, Commandant Punjab Constabulary, and Additional Inspector General of the Punjab Highway Patrol. Most recently, he was serving as Additional IGP Special Branch.
Dr Usman Anwar, meanwhile, was appointed Punjab’s Inspector General in January 2023 during the caretaker government’s large-scale administrative reshuffle. Before that, he had been serving with the National Highways and Motorway Police. During his tenure in Punjab, he oversaw a number of administrative and policing reforms and remained in office for more than three years.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi congratulated Dr Anwar on his new appointment, praising his tenure as Punjab IGP. In a post on X, the minister said Dr Anwar’s leadership had set new benchmarks in professionalism, reform, and public service within the Punjab Police, and expressed optimism that his appointment as DG FIA would usher in “real, visible change” at the federal investigative agency.
The reshuffle comes amid ongoing discussions about police performance, institutional reform, and coordination between provincial and federal law enforcement bodies, placing both appointments under close public and political scrutiny.