KARACHI, March 16: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan has stressed on early constitution of a provincial public safety and police complaints commission to have better results of new police reforms.
He was presiding over a meeting at the Governor’s House in which a detailed review was made about matters concerning the home department, performance of police and prisons, besides steps for ensuring human rights.
Sindh Home Secretary Rasheed Alam briefed the meeting about details spanned over three hours.
The meeting was attended by Home Minister Rauf Siddiqi, Planning and Development Minister Shoaib Ahmed Bukhari, Industries Minister Adil Siddiiqi, Advisor on Finance M A Jalil, Nazim of Karachi Syed Mustafa Kamal, home seccretary Rasheed Alam, IGP Jehangir Mirza, IG Prisons and other officials.
The governor also called for initiating steps for formation of District Public Safety and Police Complaint Commissions.
The provincial commission will be headed by the home minister and will have 12 members, including six MPAs and six independents.
Dr Ishratul Ibad called for steps for reformation of prisoners and transforming them as useful citizens.
He called for more improvement in the parole and probation process and said while providing better facilities to prisoners under this law, unnecessary burden on jails be reduced.
He referred to the arrest of Indian fishermen and said their cases be dealt with on humanitarian basis with their early repatriation.
The governor stressed on keeping young prisoners, specially the mentally immature ones, away from habitual criminals and those involved in heinous offences.
He said this would help protect jails from becoming breeding grounds for criminals and help those, who could be reformed, in becoming useful citizens.
He issued directives for strengthening the police’s specialised units and securing undertakings from all the town and district police officers as to the narcotics, gambling and betting dens being non-existent in their respective jurisdictions.
Appreciating the performance of Madadgar “15”, the governor observed that its response time has been noted up to three minutes.
He directed that police stations should be constructed on land specified for this purpose only while working of police check-posts should be made more effective along with better liaison with police stations.
The governor directed that progress in respect of e-policing should be speeded up.
The home secretary informed that law-enforcing organizations had the significant guidance of the governor in improving the law and order situation, normalization of day-to-day life and restoring Karachi’s usual hustle and bustle and they all acknowledge his leadership and support.
Sindh minister Adil Siddiqi referred to the performance of police and rangers and said that the MQM chief, Altaf Hussain, had personally extended felicitation and appreciated the same.
The meeting acknowledged the joint efforts of police, rangers, administration and people with regard to growing investment and economic activities, revival of day-to-day life and continued successful holding of international events in the fields of sports, culture, social welfare and trade.
Briefing the meeting, Home Secretary Rasheed Alam said that 903 Indian fishermen were repatriated in 2005 while 579 Aghan citizens and 174 other foreign nationals were sent back to their respective countries.
During the last one year, he said, the anti-terrorist courts decided 285 cases with convictions in 158 cases while 46 terrorists were arrested. Besides, action was taken against about 100 publications containing objectionable and subversive material.
He said prisons in the province provide accommodation to 9,720 internees. He said while giving relief, 1,000 prisoners were released while 1,020 prisoners were released on parole or paying fines with the cooperation of NGOs while 3,247 were released on completion of their term in jails.
He said that various programmes of health and medical facilities and prisoner’s welfare are being carried out in jails.
The home secretary said that an organization, headed by Justice ((Retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid, provided legal aid to female prisoners as a result of which 120 cases were decided while 75 more cases were in progress.
He said that seven speedy trial courts have been established in Sukkur, Hyderabad, Larkana and Karachi for expeditious disposal of cases.
The meeting was informed that 16,967 cases are under hearing, 3,277 prisoners are convicts while 94 others are under detention on different grounds.
The governor directed that programmes be initiated with the cooperation of philanthropists and provincial department of industries and commerce for teaching different skills and arranging education for prisoners.
It was informed that five schemes costing Rs 205.662 million are under implementation at Children’s Jail in Hyderabad and District Jail Ghotki besides repair and expansion of other jails under Annual Development Programme.
Under the ADP, five schemes of police department are also in progress at a cost of Rs246.409 million. These include the construction of 22 police stations in the province.
The meeting was told that Rs 138.091 million are being spent on five jail schemes and Rs 227.833 million on five construction projects of police department under Access to Justice Programme. These schemes envisage construction of jails and police stations and provision of facilities.
Besides, work is also in progress on five projects for police costing Rs 1289.253 million with the federal government’s assistance.
These schemes include construction of police stations in the mountainous and katcha areas, provision of training facilities and strengthening the performance of police in border areas.
The home secretary also informed about schemes relating to provision of housing and medical facilities for police personnel and said on governor’s directives, the management of police hospital had been transferred from health to police department.
He said a board of governors and managing committee for hospital have been set up.
The governor directed that medical facilities at police hospital should also be provided to inmates.—APP
