Sindh Police given 15 days to curb crime: 5,000 policemen to be recruited: Aziz
KARACHI, Oct 14: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Saturday directed the Sindh Police to curb street crimes by the end of this month.
“The incidents of street crime have declined in the first 12 days of October, but (still) a lot has to be done and I have given a deadline to Sindh Police to further curb the street crimes by the end of this month,” the prime minister said while talking to editors and senior journalists at the Governor’s House.
Mr Aziz said that at a meeting earlier in the day he had approved a proposal to make 5,000 recruitments in the Sindh Police to improve law and order in the province.
“This issue was lingering on for quite some time and now this will be done within a month as all the formalities have already been completed,” he pointed out.
Talking about the law and order situation in Balochistan, he said it was gradually improving and a new environment of development had been emerging there.
“We see a definite change in the law and order situation in Balochistan. I am happy to tell you that things are calm and very quiet in Dera Bugti and Kohlu and the atmosphere is changed,” he added.
Talking of about differences among coalition partners, Mr Aziz said the coalition government had adopted a culture of openness and encouraged freedom of expression among all its members.
However, he pointed out, once a decision was made then every body had to follow it.
In reply to a question about holding early polls, the prime minister said elections would be held at the end of the term of the government.
He said the government believed in provincial autonomy and inter-provincial harmony, adding: “We want to give more autonomy to provinces and there is no barrier in this regard.”
He said out the federal government was helping smaller provinces to overcome their financial problems and enhancing their share in divisible pool.
PERFORMANCE: Meanwhile, addressing a function, the prime minister announced that the Pakistan Muslim League-led allies would contest the coming general election as a coalition.
“We will fight on (the basis of) our performance. We will fight the election on the basis of how we have transformed the country from a very difficult situation to where we are today,” he said.
“There is a democratic environment in the country and the press is free. We believe in the freedom of the press,” said Mr Aziz.
He said the government had allowed criticism and it had the “tolerance to hear criticism. We welcome constructive criticism and good suggestions as we have to build the country collectively.”
About the problems facing Karachi, he said steps were being taken to improve the situation. He praised the provincial government, City District Government Karachi and the private sector for initiating a process to bring about improvement in the city, but said there was still a lot of room for doing more towards this end. He assured that the federal government would assist the province in this respect.
“We want that the people of Karachi as well as those of other parts in the country live a peaceful life, free from tension.”—APP
Our Staff Reporter adds: Earlier, presiding over a meeting, the prime minister took serious notice of street crimes and carjacking in Karachi and directed the police to devise a comprehensive strategy to dismantle the network of criminals, insiders told Dawn.
He expressed concern over growing incidents of street crime and said stern action be taken against those involved in buying and selling of stolen cellphones.
He directed the police to coordinate and cooperate with the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee while formulating strategies against crime.
Sindh Police Chief Jehangir Mirza claimed that mobile phone snatching had declined during the past 12 days of the current month.
