Senior police officer Dr Usman Anwar joins FIA

LAHORE: After being promoted to Grade 21, Dr Usman Anwar, senior police officer serving in Wafaqi Mohtasib in Lahore, has been directed to report to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Dr Usman Anwar is expected to report to the FIA Headquarters on Tuesday, where it is expected that he would be given the important charge of Additional Director General (North) or he would be asked to lead Cybercrimes Wing of the FIA. The slot of ADG Economic Crimes Wing (ECW) at the FIA Headquarters is also lying vacant.

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Dr Usman Anwar, who previously served in the FIA as director immigration and director FIA Punjab, earned praise and applause for his performance from all and sundry.

In 1998, Dr Usman Anwar, as an ASP, participated in an hour-long operation to rescue a PIA plane and its passengers in Hyderabad after few Baloch separatists hijacked it from Gwadar. The hijackers wanted to take the PIA plane to India but their design was foiled by the pilot when he managed to land the flight in Hyderabad, Sindh by telling the hijackers that it was India’s Bhoj city.

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Then young Anwar and a DIG led the operation to rescue all the passengers unhurt, though Usman Anwar received multiple injuries. For his courage and bravery, Usman was awarded the highest gallantry award Qauid-e-Azam Police Medal. Besides, he was also honoured by the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Earlier while working in the FIA, Dr Usman Anwar led and supervised various high-profile inquires including Dawn Leaks, Pathankot attack, Asghar Khan Case, One Constitution Avenue and inquiry under Article 6 against the former military dictator Gen (retd) Parvez Musharraf.