KARACHI: The Sindh government on Monday decided to set up a 1,000-strong police force — ‘Anti-Terrorism Force’ (ATF) to be trained by the army — and approved the creation of a counterterrorism department and three zonal committees each having top officials of military, Rangers and police to execute a ‘provincial action plan’.

An apex committee meeting, which was jointly chaired by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and attended by Sindh IG Ghulam Hyder Jamali, Corps Commander Lt General Naveed Mukhtar, Sindh Rangers DG Major General Bilal Akbar and top security and government officials, also decided to forward 57 terrorism cases to the newly-established military courts in the first phase.

Also read: Committees set up to execute NAP in provinces

“Brigadier Ahsan Gulrez of V Corps giving presentation to the provincial apex committee said that in order to ensure execution of the provincial action plan across the province, three zonal committees — Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur — would be constituted,” said a statement issued by CM House after the meeting.

According to the statement, the Karachi zone committee will comprise Rangers DG, Karachi commissioner, additional IG police (Karachi) and three sector commanders of the Rangers. The Hyderabad zone will have two divisions namely Mirpurkhas and Shaheed Benazirabad. Its committee will comprise the general officer commanding (GOC), Hyderabad, commissioners, the DIGs of the three divisions and Rangers sector commander. Similarly, the Sukkur zone will have Larkana division also. It will comprise the GOC of Pano Aqil, commissioner and DIGs of Sukkur and Larkana divisions and Rangers sector commander.

Three hundred and fifteen cases have been identified to be forwarded to military courts

The committees’ task, the statement said, would be the execution of the provincial action plan in their respective zones in line with a strategy designed to fight terror.

“The directives of the provincial action plan are action against proscribed organisations, dealing firmly with sectarian terrorists, action against armed militias, Karachi targeted operation, choking of financing for terrorists and their organisations and establishment and deployment of a dedicated counterterrorism force,” the statement quoted Brig Gulrez as saying.

Sindh IG Jamali briefed the meeting that 315 cases had been identified to be forwarded to military courts. Among them, he said, 48 belonged to Karachi, 121 were those lodged with the crime investigation department (CID), 95 registered in Shaheed Benazirabad, 17 in Hyderabad, 26 in Larkana and eight of Sakrand.

“Of these 315 cases, 57 of Karachi, including some lodged with the CID, are ready to be referred to military courts. The scrutiny of rest of the cases is on and will be forwarded to the military courts once the process is done,” added the statement while referring to the Sindh IG briefing.

The corps commander said he was ready to impart special counterterrorism training to the newly-established ATF.

On this occasion, the statement said, the chief minister directed the Sindh police chief to select young, dedicated and educated police personnel with less than five years of services for their induction in the ATF. Mr Shah was quoted as saying that the government would give them special incentives and the selection would be made purely on merit and on a volunteer basis.

Lt Gen Mukhtar said he would arrange special training for the 1,000 policemen who would be divided into 10 companies.

“The chief minister also approved the creation of the counterterrorism department. The department will be headed by a DIG. It will have three SSPs — intelligence, operation and investigation,” said the statement.

Finance Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said the government would release necessary funds for the department in line with its commitment to strengthen the police force.

Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad said that necessary arrangements should be made to repatriate illegal immigrants, particularly Afghan nationals. “Those [illegal immigrants] who have managed to get CNICs must be identified and sent back to their respective countries,” said the governor, adding that the meeting also decided to send the cases of the officials involved in issuing fake computerized identity cards to military courts.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2015

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