November 28, 2008	Friday	Ziqa'ad 29, 1429

KARACHI, Nov 27: The Sindh assembly on Thursday was told that from 1998 to 2008 as many as 184 incidents of bomb blasts occurred in the province in which 1,770 causalities took place.

The minister for law, criminal prosecution and parliamentary affairs replied to the question put by Syed Ghulam Shah Jilani during the question hour on behalf of Home Minister Dr Zulfikar Ali Mirza, who was not present at the session.

The house was informed that security had been tightened at all public and religious places and strong picketing and effective patrolling was being carried out. All the DIGs, SPOs and SHOs had been directed that the area police officers should keep a close watch on the activities of suspected terrorists.

It was further stated that from Jan 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008, 29 cases regarding targeted killings were reported in Karachi in which 37 persons were killed. To prevent targeted killings, the government carried out snap-checking, provided security guards to individuals and improved intelligence system while proper briefing was conducted by the commanding officers to the sub-ordinate staff in this connection.

The house was told that there were 306 arms shops functioning in Sindh and permission of the government was required for an arms shop. During the previous government, in 2003, 8,689 incidents of murder, 3,723 of dacoity and 13,774 of robbery were reported. Six police inspectors, six sub-inspectors, 20 assistant sub-inspectors, 27 head constables, and 87 constables were killed in encounters during the previous government.

A total of 24 police officials were martyred while performing their duties during the present government, and compensation had been paid to their heirs. Police authority had reported that no police officials were involved in tribal clashes. However, police officials involved in other cases -- 242 police officials involved in crimes were arrested, and 35 of the cases against them were pending, 81 pending trial, and the disposed cases were 51.

The assembly was told that in Sindh, 112 people died in police encounters in 2004, 138 in 2005, 111 in 2006 and 134 in 2007. In total, 3,952 accidents took place in Karachi from 2001 to 2008, in which 2,223 persons died. About 6,216 mobile phones were snatched in Karachi from 2003 to 2008 and 474 mobile snatchers were apprehended during this period.

Provincial Minister for Jails Muzaffar Ali Shujra told the house that 18 prisoners aged 75 years or above were imprisoned in Sindh jails, of whom three UTPs were in the central jail of Karachi, 10 convicts in the central jail of Hyderabad and five convicts in the central jail of Sukkur.

Rs35 for three meals

He said at present Rs35 per prisoner for their three meals on a daily basis was earmarked. However, the Sindh government would take steps to increase this amount to Rs50 on the line of the Punjab government. He said there was no provision for payment of allowances on a monthly or daily basis for food and beverages to the jail inmates. However, they were given food cooked in jail kitchens three times daily according to the prescribed rules.

MPA Arif Mustafa Jatoi asked Law Minister Muhammad Ayaz Soomro whether the prisoners were provided with sufficient quantity of meals in the jails. The minister asked him to get imprisoned if he really wanted to observe the jails food system.

MQM Minister Shoaib Bukhari asked whether the government would send Mr Jatoi into the prison or he himself would have to do something about getting in. On these remarks, Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said we had been imprisoned in the past and we should be careful of being sent to jails in the future. His remarks provoked a laughter in the house.

Violence against women

Minister for Women Development Tauqir Fatima Bhutto told the Sindh assembly on Thursday that incidents of domestic violence and harassment of women occurred due to non-implementation of the laws.

She said a procedure was being adopted to ensure the registration of such cases in districts where these incidents occurred, but not reported at the police stations or relevant centres.

The assembly was told that 775 cases of domestic violence and harassment of women had been reported from January 2005 to April 2008, of which 173 in 2005, 248 in 2006, 267 in 2007 and 87 were reported in 2008.

Responding to a question by MPA Humaira Alwani, the minister said the High Court of Sindh in the case of Shazia versus a station house officer and others had declared the holding of jirgas unlawful. The regional police officer of Sukkur had stated that only 12 jirgas took place in the Sukkur region, out of which 11 cases were challaned and one was pending investigation.

The CCPO of Karachi and RPO of Hyderabad had reported that no incident of jirga verdict violation occurred in their respective regions.

Responding to a question by MPA Heer Soho, Minister Ayaz Soomro said punishment on violation of a ban on jirga holding was laid down in the law.

MQM Minister Shoaib Bukhari asked what step would be taken if a jirga was held in a room secretly. The minister said police had been asked to register a case against those responsible in this regard after obtaining credible information.

Replying to a question regarding gang-rapes, and murders after rape, the minister said 104 cases had been registered in Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur from January 2005 to April 2008 and four women were murdered after rape. About 289 suspects were involved in those cases, of whom 139 were arrested, 68 cases were chanllaned and 36 cases were disposed of.

Mr Soomro said self-immolation cases were registered under a PPC section regarding and attempt to commit suicide. However, the case was registered under conditions whether the persons died in the suicide attempt or survived. No case of self-immolation had been reported from Jan 1 to March 31, 2008.

About 116 women and 19 children were confined in the special prison for women, Karachi, 33 women and eight children in the special prison for women, Hyderabad; 16 women and eight children in the special prison for women, Larkana; 20 women and four children in the women ward, CP-II, Sukkur, 206 children in the youthful offender industrial school of Karachi and 123 children in the youthful offender industrial school, Hyderabad.— APP/PPI