Ghulam Qadir Thebo replaces Mushtaq Maher as Karachi police chief

The senior officer was heading the provincial anti-corruption department

KARACHI: After differences between the Sindh government and Sindh Inspector-General (IG) Allah Dino Khawaja emerged, there has been a massive reshuffle in the Sindh police department in which Karachi police chief Mushtaq Maher has been replaced with Ghulam Qadir Thebo.

Thebo, a senior police officer of grade-21 was serving as the Anti-Corruption Establishment chairperson. The position of anti-corruption chairperson is vacant for now. According to a notification issued by services, general administration and coordination department, Maher has been transferred and posted as the additional IG of the traffic police and Khadim Hussain Bhatti has been relieved of the position.

Bhatti has now been appointed as the research, development and inspection department additional IG, while Sardar Abdul Majeed Dasti was relieved of the post and posted as the additional IG of the Sindh police. Aftab Pathan, a grade-21 officer of police services of Pakistan, has been appointed as the additional IG of the crime branch, Sindh. This additional charge was earlier with Sanaullah Abbasi, who will continue to serve as the Counter-Terrorism Department additional IG.



The notification announcing the reshuffle stated that Dr Amir Ahmed Shaikh, a grade-20 officer of police services of Pakistan, has been posted with immediate effect as deputy inspector-general (DIG) of the technical and transport department. He is allowed to hold the charge of the post of the training DIG, wherefrom Imran Yaqoob Minhas has been relieved. Minhas has been appointed as the Karachi traffic police licensing and training DIG, from where Mazhar Nawaz Shaikh has been transferred. Shaikh, an officer of grade-20, has been appointed the Sindh security DIG against an existing vacancy.

Sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune that in the last one week, more than 17 SSPs and SPs have been transferred and this seems to be a trickledown effect of differences between the Sindh IG and home minister. "Thebo, who is considered to be a close aide of the Pakistan Peoples Party leadership, has been trying to get a top slot in the police. He had already worked as police chief till 2015. Despite his wish to become the IG, the Sindh government has again posted him as Karachi police chief," a senior police official claimed.

Meanwhile, the Sindh home minister termed it a routine reshuffle. "The IG has no authority to appoint DIGs and additional IGs. These are administrative changes purely on merit," he said.