Durrani replaces Leghari as IG Sindh

Chief minister urges new IG to come up with a ‘prompt strategy’ to establish ‘concrete peace’ in the province.

KARACHI:

The newly appointed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Wajid Durrani took charge on Friday and immediately called on Qaim Ali Shah at Chief Minister House.

The grade 22 officer has served as the IGP of Islamabad. He replaces Fayyaz Leghari who was removed as part of Supreme Court orders in the case of the extrajudicial killing of a young man at the hands of the paramilitary Rangers. The chief of the Rangers force was also removed.

According to a handout issued on Friday, the chief minister urged the new IG to come up with a ‘prompt strategy’ to establish ‘concrete peace’ in the province. He specifically urged him to improve the situation in Karachi, where some miscreants and criminals had created the worst law and order conditions.

Shah said that certain anti-state and anti-social elements were involved in disturbing the peace of the province. He hoped that the new IG would take all measures necessary and take stern action against all criminals for establishing peace. He said that it was the prime duty of law enforcement agencies to protect the lives and properties of the people. Durrani assured the chief minister that he would make every effort to improve the situation, particularly in Karachi.

He was confident that with coordinated efforts the activities of criminals and anti-social elements could be crushed with an ‘iron hand’.

Both senior officials also appreciated the role of the Karachi Coordination Committee consisting of senior party members of the coalition partners to maintain peace in the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2011.