KARACHI, Dec 26: President General Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday announced a grant of Rs 450 million for the completion of incomplete federally-funded schemes of police department, including police buildings, quarters, lines etc.

He made the announcement at a Police Darbar held at Central Police Office.

About 70 to 80 per cent work on these buildings had been carried out but remained incomplete for the last few years just for want of funds.

He said that the provincial government had been permitted to sell out unused assets of the police department through Privatization Commission and the money so raised be spent to improve the operational efficiency of the police force and their administrative requirements.

The President told the Darbar that the sale of these assets during the next five to six months would earn the department a revenue of about Rs 1.50 billion.

The President also directed that administrative control of police hospitals be taken over from health department and handed to police department.

Gen Musharraf said that the Sindh Police was establishing a Police Welfare Trust to look after the welfare of police personnel. He announced an amount of Rs 10 million on his behalf for the Trust and another Rs 10 million on behalf of the Sindh Governor.

He said that an amount of Rs 30 million recovered by traffic police through traffic challans would also be used for the purchase of operational equipment and to enhance their pay.

The President said that the land lying unused in kachcha areas should be brought under use by police and the income so generated would be diverted towards police welfare activities.

Gen Pervez Musharraf said that salaries of police personnel would be increased in due course of time with a further improvement in economic conditions which has showed sign of significant improvement as the foreign exchange reserves have surged to about 4.7 billion dollars and would surpass the 5 billion dollar mark in the next couple of months.

He said that he was of the view that minimum salary of a police man should be 6,000 rupees so that he could work with honesty and dedication and thus bring the government under a financial weight of Rs 25 billion.

He said that the Sindh Police under the guidance of IG Police had chalked comprehensive plan which would build up police reputation in the eyes of the people and also help combat and eliminate crimes. He that the government would try to give them all possible help and assistance.

Gen Musharraf told them not to be swayed away by political or other influences and rather try to provide justice and relief to poor people and work towards the establishment of supremacy of rule of law.

Speaking about Police Reforms, he said that it was in the process of being implemented. Under these reforms the District Nazims would be overall integrals of law and order in the district and police would work with them.

On the occasion President announced a grant of Rs 25,000 for each of the family of 48 policemen who gave away their lives for a big cause.

On the occasion, the IGP Syed Kamal Shah in his welcome address thanked the President for addressing the police Darbar and said that he was the first head of the state in the last 50 years who visited the CPO.

On the occasion the IGP presented police regimental shield to the President.

Earlier, the IGP informed him about the steps taken for establishment of law and order, progress about police reforms, fresh recruitment in Sindh police, steps taken to check sectarian violence, maintenance of law and order during Ramazan and on Eid, the work and performance of anti-car lifting cell, anti-dacoit operations, deweaponization, improvement measures, CID performance, accountability, transport, traffic police, communication, police training etc.

Also present at the Darbar were Sindh Governor Mohammedmian Soomro, Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider, Corps Commander, Tariq Waseem Ghazi, IGP Syed Kamal Shah, Chief Secretary Mohammed Javed Ashraf Hussain, Home Secretary Sindh and other high civil and military officers.—APP