New police chief assumes charge in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Police finally gets a new chief after Ali Nasir Rizvi, a BS-20 officer of police service of Pakistan, Monday assumed office, the law enforcement agency said in a statement. 

Rizvi assumed charge 22 days after the notification for his appointment was issued. His appointment was delayed due to a dispute between the interior ministry and Punjab over his transfer from Punjab to the Establishment Division.

The newly Islamabad Police chief was appointed after former IG Akbar Nasir Khan relinquished the charge on March 30 and after he was relieved by the Punjab government.

The Islamabad Capital Police, in its post on X, formerly Twitter, said that the newly-appointed chief visited the Martyrs Memorial for fateha before assuming charge.

He was earlier performing his duties as deputy inspector general operations Lahore and belongs to the 31st Common batch of the PSP. He has also served as an assistant superintendent of police, superintendent of police, senior superintendent of police, central police officers, deputy inspector general in nine Punjab districts.

The Islamabad Police chief was also posted in different districts of Balochistan.

As per the sources in the Punjab government, permission must be taken from the provincial chief minister if an officer was required from Punjab in future.

In this regard, the Punjab government clarified its position to the Centre.

The Punjab government, as per the sources, was of the opinion that there is already shortage of officers in Punjab and that the Establishment Division should use its own officers.

The federal government wrote letters to Punjab to relieve Rizvi, but the province did not do so citing that Islamabad transferred the officer without taking them in confidence.

Following Rizvi's appointment as IG, three senior deputy inspector generals in Islamabad — DIG Headquarter Hassan Raza, DIG Security Muhammad Awais and DIG Safe City and Traffic Shoaib Shoaib Janbaz — have all quit from their posts in protest, stating that he is a junior and refused to work under his supervision.

They were all on leaves before Rizvi's arrival in Islamabad, but joined duty following a delay in his assumption of office.

It was earlier suggested that a new panel should be sent to the cabinet but the federal government had not taken any decision in that regard. No DIG had been given temporary charge of the capital IGP.

The development, however, came after an understanding was reached between the federal government and Punjab on the matter.

A day earlier, The News had reported, citing Punjab government sources, that Rizvi will take charge of his post on Tuesday.

Earlier on April 19, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) sought a report from the government within two weeks on the non-appointment of a new IG Police in Islamabad.