KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Sikander Mandhro has assured the provincial assembly that strict check is being maintained to prevent terrorists from sneaking into Sindh in the garb of internally displaced persons.

Speaking in the house in response to a call attention motion moved by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmaker Kamran Akhtar during the Friday session, the minister said no operation was going on in North Waziristan at the moment on account of a temporary ‘ceasefire’ effected to facilitate the ongoing talks with Taliban.

“Since no terrorist activity or (military) operation is going on, there is no question of migration or terrorists’ infiltration,” he argued. Nevertheless, he added, a close watch on terrorists’ movement was being maintained in the face of threats and possible migration of the North Waziristan people for fear of a flare-up.

Dr Mandhro held out the assurance that police and Nadra personnel would be posted at all entry/exit points of Karachi and no one would be allowed in without getting himself registered. After taking their fingerprints and documenting their personal data, the outsiders would be restricted to camps outside the city until they were repatriated to their respective areas, he added.

Responding to another call attention motion moved by Naila Munir of the MQM, the minister said there had been abject poverty and illiteracy prevailing in Thar for long. Inhabitants of that region never adhered to family planning despite knowing about lack of food, water and other essentials of life, he observed.

However, he told the house, adequate medical support was being extended to the drought-hit families to cope with the situation as early as possible. He expressed the optimism that such a situation would not recur in future.

Referring to MQM lawmaker Aamir Moin Peerzada’s call attention motion regarding auction of 28,500 bags wheat, which spoiled in Shikarpur, the minister informed the house that new silos were being constructed to save wheat stocks from getting damaged.

Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, who was chairing the session, directed the secretary to drop Khairunnisa Mughal’s privilege motion from the next agenda as it could not be taken up on Friday due to her absence for the fourth time.

MQM member Syed Khalid Ahmed’s adjournment motion on the March 12 tragedy in Lyari’s Jhatpat Market where 16 people, including women and children, were killed, was disposed of as the mover did not press his motion after Dr Mandhro’s statement on the floor of the house that it was the result of a clash between two criminal gangs.

Minister of Katchi Abadis Javed Nagori told the house that terrorism in Lyari had been curbed to a great extent.

He pointed out that some time back, eight terrorists were arrested in the Khadda Market area of Defence and one of them turned out to be a guard of an MNA.

His statement provoked an uproar among MQM lawmakers who stood up and started speaking simultaneously to remind the minister that he had nothing to do with the issue.

Speaking on a point of order, Khurram Sherzaman of PTI drew the attention of the house to an ancient temple at Clifton saying that drilling for the construction of an underpass within the vicinity was threatening foundations of the temple.

Dr Mandhro assured the house that precautionary measures would be taken if the Karachi Building Authority saw a possibility of any damage to the temple. Minister for Minorities Gayan Chand Israni told the house that temple would remain safe during the development work.

Dr Nand Kumar of the PML-F took up the issue of attack on a temple in Hyderabad earlier in the day. The Minister for parliamentary Affairs said that the Hyderabad DIG had started an inquiry. He assured the house that the culprits would be arrested soon.