The Sindh government on Monday appointed Imran Yaqoob Minhas as the new Karachi police chief in place of Ghuman Nabi Memon, with the latter being transferred and posted to the position previously held by Minhas.

In a notification, the Sindh government stated: "Imran Yaqoob Minhas, an officer of Police Service of Pakistan (BS-21), Additional Inspector General of Police, Special Branch Sindh is transferred and posted with immediate effect and until further orders as Additional Inspector General of Police, Karachi Range vice Ghulam Nabi Memon, PSP (BS-21)."

The provincial government also issued another notification regarding Memon's appointment as additional inspector general of police, special branch Sindh.

Memon was appointed the city police chief in July 2019.

Sources in the police department and the Sindh government said that the transfer of the city police chief was in the works for quite some time. A senior officer recalled that when Memon had held a meeting about street crimes sometime ago, he had told the participants that perhaps he was chairing the last meeting.

In the meantime, the federal government had also requisitioned Memon's services. The Establishment Division in a letter to the Sindh government had contended that as per the new policy, the transfer of an officer is required if he or she has served in a province continuously for 10 years. This transfer was deemed imperative to have 'diverse experience' and promotion in next grade.

However, the Sindh government had shown reluctance to hand over the services of Memon to the federal government. Thus, a senior police officer opined that an impression was created that perhaps he was not going to be transferred. However, an official source at the Chief Minister's House claimed that it was not a sudden or abrupt transfer of the city police chief. The officer believed that it was a "routine administrative change".

The officer suggested that Minhas also enjoyed a "good reputation" as there were no charges of corruption or misuse of power against him during his services in the police. Another police officer said that apart from having a "clean record", Minhas was also known as a "bold" officer.

He recalled that when Sindh Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar was reportedly "taken away" by security agency personnel during the arrest episode of Captain Safdar, husband of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, it was Minhas who took strong exception to such attitude with their commanding officer and wrote a "protest" letter, asking for long leave.

Subsequently, several senior police officers also wrote identical letters. Such resentment in the police force prompted PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to take notice. Later on, the army chief ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Meanwhile, a police spokesperson said that the new city police chief has vast experience in the service as he has served in Punjab and Balochistan as well in different capacities. He had also served as IG Prisons in Sindh. He is a native of urban Sindh and joined the police service as an ASP in 1991.