Six top officers skip first meeting with new IG

Karachi police chief AIG Odho says no factions or politics exist in the force

KARACHI:

Absence of six senior police officers was prominent in the introductory meeting presided over by the new Sindh police chief IG Raja Riffat Mukhtar, a grade 21 officer of the Police Service of Pakistan, at the Central Police Office on Monday.

However, after the meeting, Additional IG CTD Imran Yaqub Minhas, Additional IG Training Abdul Qadir Qayyum and Additional IG Karachi, Javed Alam Odho met the IG separately, while Additional IG Investigation Munir Sheikh, Additional IG Welfare Muzaffar Ali Sheikh and Additional IG Farhat Junejo did not attend the meeting.

According to sources, the new IG Sindh Rifaat Mukhtar Raja is junior to six police officers of Grade 21 in Sindh and belongs to the 24th Common.

According to the sources, according to the tradition, a senior officer may not participate in the meeting chaired by a junior officer, but he is bound to obey the orders. Sources say that Additional IG Imran Yaqub Minhas and Additional IG Muzaffar Sheikh are from 19th Common, Additional IG Farhat Junejo is from 21st while Additional IG Karachi Javed Alam Odhu is from 22nd Common and Additional IG Munir Sheikh is from 23rd Common.

Additional IG Qadir Qayyum is also a senior to the new IG Sindh, but regarding the news circulating on social media, Karachi Police Chief Additional IG Karachi Javed Alam Odhu said that there is a system for appointing police officers which is taken care of. There is no factionalism in the police, "we are all one."

During the meeting, IG Mukhtar emphasized the need for IT- based policing to improve department's response time to public service. "It is an era of modern technology so overall affairs of all the units of Sindh police should move towards IT," he said.

Mukhtar highlighted the importance of planning, services to the people, and courtesy towards citizens. The IG said he wanted to introduce welfare measures on the style of Punjab police. The welfare of Sindh Police personnel should also be similar to that of the Punjab police.  

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2023.