KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday directed the newly appointed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Javed Alam Odho to intensify efforts to eliminate street crime in Karachi.

He issued the instructions during a meeting with the police chief here at the CM House.

The federal government has appointed Mr Odho as the Sindh police chief and he formally assumed his new responsibilities as the 86th IGP of Sindh on Thursday.

Mr Odho was serving as the Karachi police chief prior to his new assignment.

Officials said the provincial government has appointed Counter-Terrorism Department head Additional IG Azad Khan as the new Karachi police chief with immediate effect and until further order.

Federal govt notifies Javed Alam Odho as new Sindh IGP; Azad Khan appointed chief of Karachi police

Mr Odho joined the Police Service of Pakistan in 1994 and served as SSP / DPO in seven districts of the province and as the principal of the Police Training College, Saeedabad, Karachi.

He was promoted to DIG in 2012 and served in various zones, including Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Karachi West, and South. In 2021, he was promoted to Additional Inspector General (Adl IG), BPS-21, and has twice served as Karachi police chief.

Mr Odho has also served in other provinces in various capacities and participated in the UN Mission in Kosovo.

The CM extended his best wishes to Mr Odho on assuming charge of the provincial police force.

He directed the new IG Police to accord top priority to maintaining law and order across the province.

He stressed that operations against criminal elements in the riverine areas must continue with full force and without any let-up.

Mr Shah also instructed the police leadership to further intensify efforts to eliminate street crime in Karachi, stating that the issue directly affects public confidence and the sense of security among citizens.

Emphasising the need to restore a public-friendly image of the Sindh Police, the CM called for concrete measures to improve service delivery and strengthen trust between the police and the public.

He also directed that the mission to modernise the police force should be pursued vigorously.

The CM underscored the importance of making the Safe City Project more effective through improved surveillance, technology integration and operational efficiency.

He further instructed that the ongoing operations against narcotics must be accelerated to curb drug abuse and trafficking in the province.

“The Sindh government is taking comprehensive steps for the improvement of the police force, but the police must also deliver tangible results,” the CM said, urging the new IGP to ensure visible improvements in law enforcement and crime control.

IGP Odho thanked the chief minister for his guidance and assured him of his full commitment to implementing the government’s directives and strengthening law and order across Sindh.

Later, he also called on Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, who congratulated him on his new assignment and assured him of the full support on behalf of the Sindh government in all policing and administrative matters.

Earlier, upon his arrival at the Central Police Office (CPO), he was presented with a guard of honour by a smartly turned-out police contingent.

He visited the police martyrs’ memorial, laid a wreath, and offered fateha. Later, he also met with senior police officers at the CPO.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2026