Federal Government Names Punjab Police Chief as New FIA Director General

LAHORE: The federal government has decided to transfer Punjab Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar and appoint him as the director general (DG) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), it emerged on Monday. A highly-placed source confirmed to Dawn that the government has given approval to change the Punjab police high command. The source said that a summary has been submitted to the prime minister for final approval, with Anwar’s posting as FIA DG likely on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, reports suggested that the provincial government has prepared a panel of three candidates for the role of the Punjab police chief. Among those under consideration are Lahore Capital City Police Officer Bilal Siddique Kamyana, Punjab Counter Terrorism Department Additional Inspector General Wasim Sial, and Special Branch Additional Inspector General Rao Abdul Kareem. As per reports, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed is also in the race.

Dr Anwar was appointed as Punjab IG during a large reshuffle by the Punjab caretaker government in January 2023. He had been performing his duties with the National Highways and Motorway Police before being appointed as the province’s police chief. Dr Anwar served in various capacities including the Punjab Counter Terrorism Department, Faisalabad senior superintendent of police (operations), Rawalpindi chief traffic officer, Prime Minister’s Office in Islamabad, district police officer in Okara and Sargodha, and with the Telecommunications and Elite Police.