KARACHI, June 23: The Sindh government has decided to take on board all political parties on the law and order situation in Karachi and call an all parties conference (APC), whose date would be announced after consultations with leaders of various parties.

This was stated by Sindh information minister Sharjeel Memon while briefing a group of media persons after an emergency meeting of the provincial cabinet held here on Sunday to review the law and order situation in the province.

At the meeting, presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, the law and order situation of Sindh was reviewed with specific reference to Karachi.

Besides cabinet members Manzoor Wassan, Sharjeel Memon, Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Sardar Ali Nawaz Khan Mahar, Makhdoom Jameel-uz-Zaman, Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani and adviser Syed Murad Ali Shah, the DG Rangers and IG police were also present.

The cabinet discussed the ongoing targeted killings and the recent attack on the Karachi central prison late Saturday night, and decided to take on board political parties by calling an APC whose date would be announced after consultation with other political parties, Mr Memon said, and added that whatever suggestions would be made at the APC for the restoration of peace, further measures would be taken against criminals in the city.

The meeting decided to carry out an independent inquiry into the assassination of the Muttahida Quami Movement legislator Sajid Queshi by a “joint interrogation team” comprising police, Rangers, ISI and other officials of intelligence agencies for transparent investigations.

Mr Memon, accompanied by Pakistan Peoples Party leader Syed Waqar Mehdi, said the cabinet had ordered that all prisons in the province be put on high alert by tightening their security and decided to carry out an operation in all prisons on the pattern of the recently conducted operation in the Karachi prison.

The meeting was also informed that the authorities had prior information about the terrorist attack on the prison which helped in blunting the attack.

Moreover, the cabinet also decided to install cameras and jammers in different prisons in the province.

Responding to questions, the minister said the targeted operation against criminals was continuing in different areas and suggested that the opposition parties also come up with positive suggestions to maintain law and order in the city besides criticising the government.

He said the government had also decided to carry out snap checking of vehicles in the city to prevent any terrorist attack.

The minister also appealed to the people, Karachiites in particular, to cooperate with the law-enforcement agencies so that effective security and safety measures could be taken beforehand.

When his attention was drawn towards inconvenience caused to the people due to blockade of roads leading to the CM and Governor houses, the minister said security threats persisted in the red-zone zone; hence roads had been blocked as preventive measures.

Answering another query, Mr Memon said officials of police and other law-enforcement agencies briefed the cabinet on the crackers hurled into the Karachi central prison which were foiled by the security personnel deployed at the prison.

In reply to another question, the minister said the police and Rangers were given free hand to take action against criminals irrespective of their political affiliations.

He said that in the ongoing operation many suspects involved in multiple killings were arrested.