Dr Amir Shaikh replaces Mushtaq Mahar as Karachi police chief

Karachi’s Additional Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar was transferred and Dr Amir Ahmed Shaikh appointed new police chief in his place by Sindh police chief Amjad Javed Saleemi on Wednesday.

A notification issued by the Sindh Police Department stated that in exercise of the authority conferred by a Sindh High Court judgment, Mahar, a BS-21 officer of the Police Service of Pakistan, had been transferred as additional IGP of Karachi Range and directed to report to the Central Police Office (CPO), Karachi.

Another notification said Dr Amir Ahmed Shaikh, a BS-21 officer of the Police Service of Pakistan (BS-21), who is currently posted as additional IGP Finance, Logistic & Welfare, Sindh, Karachi, had been transferred and made with immediate effect and until further orders Karachi’s additional IGP.

Shaikh has served in key positions throughout the province and is known for his swift actions as DIG South and Karachi’s DIG Traffic. As Karachi traffic police chief, he had managed to improve the performance of the force by getting traffic laws implemented as well as by introducing an Electronic Traffic Ticketing System.

Talking to The News, Dr Shaikh said he had several priorities and plans, including efforts to honour the self-respect of every citizen. He said it was usually witnessed that citizens had to face difficulties in registering their complaints and when the complaints were lodged no outcome came.

In this regard, he said he had planned to establish a help desk which would be operated by an inspector or a sub inspector and they would inform the complainant on a day-to-day basis about developments in their case.

Dr Shaikh said that likewise another issue of Karachi was the rising street crime which had to be controlled for which he had made plans. He added that one of his priorities would be to upgrade police helpline Madadgar-15, for which he would ask the government for motorcycles with tracking devices so that whenever any mugging incident was reported by a citizen, the Madadgar-15 Centre operator would be able to immediately locate the official deployed at a nearby location and tell him to respond accordingly. He was confident that by this practice, street crime would be controlled to a large extent.

Dr Shaikh said that being Karachi police chief he would assist the traffic police, especially during rush hours, in ensure smooth traffic flow for the public. He added that in view of the coming Eidul Azha, he had called a law and order meeting in which he would ask his subordinates to brief him about the necessary measures they had taken for the security of the citizens.

During the Eid holidays, he said, a situation of rush would be witnessed at recreational spots, including Sea View and Alladin Park, so he would be concentrating on the security situation and would direct the police officials to adopt extra security measures to avert any act of terrorism or any other untoward situation.

After the Eid holidays, Dr Shaikh said he planned to introduce an accountability system within the force and order a crackdown on vice dens operating within various police jurisdictions. He maintained that he would issue strict directives to immediately close down all vice dens running in various districts of Karachi, and after that if complaints were received, strict action would be taken against officials involved in operating these dens and departmental action would also be taken against them.

Moreover, the directives would be issued for pasting notorious criminals’ details outside the police stations so as to help the force in apprehending them, he said, adding that he would create and supervise a page on the Sindh Police website for public feedback and complaints.

Dr Shaikh said he would also pursue the initiative taken by Sindh IGP Amjad Javed Saleemi for police welfare and had a plan to decrease the duty hours of policemen deployed at various points. He said he would also work to ensure the cops were able to meet their medical expenses and as well as the expenses of their children’s education so that they could perform their duty without any mental stress. The new top cop of the city said he would also establish a counter at the Karachi Police headquarters to resolve welfare issues of cops’ widows. He also emphasised that transfers and postings of officers, including SHOs, would be made on merit and professionalism.