KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Friday announced a Rs500 million development package for Lyari and establishment of five more police stations including one for women in the area.

Mr Shah also revived a special allowance grant programme, which had expired in June 2014, for police personnel working at sensitive police stations.

The chief minister was presiding over a meeting held at CM House to review the law and order situation in the metropolis, with special reference to the situation prevailing in Lyari.

Referring to the efforts made by law enforcers for restoring peace to Karachi, he said no one would be allowed to spoil the achievements of law enforcers. He said criminal elements resurfaced in Lyari recently to sabotage the achievements made by the law enforcement agencies.

Women’s police station among five planned

The chief minister directed the police chief and other officers of the law enforcement agencies to expedite targeted operation without any discrimination.

He also asked them to prepare a multidimensional strategy based on socio-economic uplift of less developed areas of Karachi so that criminal elements not only from Lyari but from across the city could be eliminated.

He said that the PPP government executed mega projects, including establishment of a university, a law college, a medical college, roads and parks in Lyari, besides upgrading the civil hospital. He said the government was keen to execute more uplift projects, but the gang warfare created hurdles in the way of development.

He added that an insurgency-like situation was experienced in some parts of Karachi due to infiltration of criminal elements into the city from upcountry, Balochistan and other countries. He asked the LEAs to be more vigilant, develop more effective intelligence work and take strict action against criminals under the Pakistan Protection Ordinance.

The chief minister said whatever had been demanded by the Sindh police was provided to them in the shape of arms, ammunitions, vehicles, bullet-proof jackets and gadgets. He said the PPP government would continue to extend administrative, financial and moral support to the law enforcers to eliminate criminal elements from the province in general and from Lyari and other parts of Karachi in particular.

He directed the police chief to identify vulnerable areas and take strict action against criminals by placing honest and brave police officers there.

He lauded the efforts of law enforcers for putting in place an effective security plan for Muharram procession on the day of Ashura. He said there were many security threats which were communicated by the Federal Ministry of Interior and other agencies to the Sindh government, besides there was a possibility of serious security breach. He expressed his satisfaction over the performance of the law enforcement agencies which foiled nefarious designs of terrorists.

Earlier while giving a briefing on the law and order, Sindh IG Ghulam Hyder Jamali said that cases of targeted killing had dropped this year. In Lyari, he said, 132 militants were killed in exchange of fire with law enforcers. In fact the ongoing gang warfare in the area had become a matter of survival for several gangs in Lyari, he said. During the past few days, at least three people were killed in the neighbourhood, he said. Suspects nominated in the murder FIR would be arrested shortly, the IG said.

The meeting was also attended by Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Alumddin Bullo, DG Rangers Maj Gen Bilal Akbar, Additional IG Karachi Police Ghulam Qadir Thebo, DIG Abdul Khaliq Shaikh, officers from LEAs and others.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2014