KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that the provincial government has released Rs6.5 billion to the police for the purchase of the latest weapons and equipment, and with the availability of bulletproof vehicles and modern weapons their performance will improve.

“The Sindh government along with the federal government will take every step to maintain law and order and will not rest until an abiding peace has been restored to Karachi,” he said.

The chief minister, who was speaking to representatives of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry and media persons on his visit to the Federation House on Tuesday, regretted that his instructions to carry out severe checking and thorough inquiry of internally displaced persons on the Sindh borders to ensure that no terrorists entered Sindh were misconstrued as ‘provincialism’.

The chief minister said: “For maintaining law and order, safeguard of the national interest, stability and progress of the country and for the sake of life and property of the people, we are one and the Sindh government will take every measure along with the federal government for law and order.”

He recalled that it was a matter of the record that elite of the city and traders and the business community had not only backed the Sindh government action against terrorists and criminals, but also appreciated its results.

He said that in September 2013 the prime minister had backed the ‘targeted operation’ in Karachi and also agreed to give a freehand to the police and the Rangers, which produced ‘positive results’ and there was a good impression for three to four months, but in January 2014 the situation deteriorated, whose due notice was taken by him and the prime minister.

He added that a severe action was taken and the situation was controlled and the prime minister had appreciated it during a recent meeting held in Islamabad to review the law and order situation.

He said the government had released Rs6.5 billion for the purchase of latest weapons, which would further bring improvement in the police performance.

The chief minister denied that he interfered in the police department postings and transfers, saying that the IG Sindh had the powers of transfers and postings of even additional IGs in the province.

He expressed the hope that with the availability of bulletproof vehicles and other modern equipment, the police performance would further improve.

Referring to other problems, the chief minister said at present there were over two million illegal aliens in the province, but Karachi was accommodating everyone, where people were availing all infrastructure and water facilities.

He said that in the National Finance Commission Award, Sindh was given Rs500 billion less than its due share and in the Public Sector Development Programme 11 mega projects were ignored, including K-4 and S-3 schemes, but on his protest the prime minister promised to take up those issues on his arrival in Karachi.

He said in Thar now excavation of coal had started and soon one of the coal-fired power plants in Jamshoro would start producing electricity.

Earlier welcoming the chief minister, FPPI president Zakaria Usman and other representatives S.M. Munir, Ikhtiar Baig in their speeches informed the chief minister about their problems, including the need for improving infrastructure.

During the visit Waqar Mehdi and other officials of Chief Minister’s House were with the CM.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2014