[2] Prior to joining the civil service, he graduated with an MBBS from the King Edward Medical College in Lahore.

[3][4] He was promoted to the rank of superintendent (SP), following which he served in various districts of the Punjab including Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Sargodha, Rahim Yar Khan, Chakwal, and Mianwali.

[3] In April 2020, Rao Sardar was given charge of leading the Punjab Safe Cities Authority as its Managing Director.

[8][9][10] It was noted that he was the seventh police chief to be appointed in Punjab within three years during the tenure of the incumbent PTI-led Usman Buzdar ministry, which came into power in 2018.

[2][3][4] However, they maintained that his success depended upon how much of a "free hand" he would be allowed by the Chief Minister to run his team, and whether there would be any political interference from the provincial government.