KARACHI: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali said on Thursday that four committees had been set up to suggest corrective steps for improving the ongoing targeted operation against criminals so that it could move swiftly to its third phase without becoming controversial.

Addressing a press conference at the Quaid-i-Azam International Airport, the minister said the federal and Sindh governments were determined to restore peace to the business capital of the country.

He said details of the committees would be made public on Feb 18 during his next visit to Karachi. The committees had been formed in consultation with the Sindh government, he added.

Earlier he held marathon sessions on law and order at the chief minister’s house and the governor house and discussed ways to address the complaints of torture and declaring people missing after they were picked up by security personnel in plainclothes.

During the meetings, top officials of the law-enforcement agencies and authorities concerned briefed the minister about the law and order situation in Sindh, particularly in Karachi.

It was decided to ensure that the operation should not be made controversial because its success could only be possible if it was owned up by all parties.

He said that a committee had been set up at the interior ministry to ensure improved cooperation between intelligence and security agencies and to have a better liaison between the federal and provincial governments. Another committee would be working at the chief minister’s secretariat and the third committee would be formed under the supervision of the chief secretary. It would address the complaints of missing persons and torture to the arrested people, he added.

Chaudhry Nisar said the authorities had been instructed to inform the family of detained person, the interior ministry and the chief minister within 24 hours of the arrest.

When his attention was drawn to a decision taken at the time of launching of the operation to form monitoring committees, the minister said it was the responsibility of the provincial government.

He also met delegations of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Pakistan Muslim League-F and received input about the operation from them.

He said the MQM had given him a list of about 30 missing persons, but did not seek removal of any official of police or Rangers.

In reply to a question, he said law enforcement agencies had been barred from arresting any person in mufti, while CID personnel had been exempted from this condition, but they had to inform the relatives of the detained person within 24 hours of the arrest. If no agency was involved in the arrest, an FIR would be registered against those who had arrested any person, he added.

Chaudhry Nisar said there was 40 per cent improvement in the law and order situation from September to November, while December showed mixed performance. Criminals reacted and targeted personnel of law enforcement agencies in January and February, but the government had now chalked out a strategy to address the issue.

The minister said that over 300 criminals had been arrested so far. Without naming the Taliban, he said there were 40 groups of criminals.

He said about 230 members of the Lyari gang war had been arrested.

The issue of banning illegal Sims was complicated because people had become used to them, he said.