Acting on the directives of Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, Sindh Inspector General Police A.D Khowaja on Friday ordered the immediate withdrawal of security protocol provided to influential individuals not entitled to official security.

This order will see around 4,000 policemen returning to actual police duty in Karachi only, which to some extent will help control street crimes, officials said.

The provincial police chief directed Additional IGs of Karachi, Special Branch, CTD, Traffic, Crime Branch and DIGs of Karachi’s East, West and South Zone and CIA, DIGs of Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad ranges, DIGs of SRP and SRR, the Commandant of SSU, Karachi, and all District SSPs in Sindh to withdraw the police security from those persons who are not legally entitled.

“The police security provided to all unauthorised persons shall immediately be withdrawn,” reads the order issued by Khowaja.

An officer of Karachi police told Dawn that following this order around 4,000 policemen would be withdrawn from security duty in Karachi only, “which would help police immensely in terms of overcoming the shortcoming of manpower”.

The officer further said the police department was also planning to “rationalise the security for entitled persons”.

He highlighted that there were around 150 policemen deployed for the security of one former judge of the Supreme Court, however, only 80 policemen were provided to one sitting judge of the apex court.

Besides, there were “hundreds of policemen performing ‘duty’ at homes, business ventures, relatives and villages of senior police officers”, the official said.

Earlier on Thursday, the apex court had directed the inspectors general of police of the four provinces and Islamabad to withdraw security provided to unauthorised persons by Friday.