Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah on Monday approved the proposal of shifting eight anti-terrorism courts (ATC) from Clifton to Central Jail Karachi.

The chief minister took the decision during a meeting called to discuss security at courts and was attended by senior government officials from the province.

Shah said the police have given him a report detailing the movement of prisoners and that it involves the deployment of 1500 policemen for their security, which he termed as an alarming situation.

The chief secretary of the province informed Shah that out of eight ATC courts in the area, six have been completed with in the jail premises, while the other two would be made available soon.

There are 10 ATC courts operating in Karachi.

Shah on the occasion also instructed adequate security arrangements for city and Malir courts.

Rs10 million compensation for slain policemen

The chief minister, on the advice of former president Asif Ali Zardari, announced a compensation of Rs10 million for heirs of the slain policeman who was killed during the attack on the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalander.

The decision was taken in a meeting between the former president and the chief minister.

“This is not just a compensation for a killed head constable but it is a clear message to the entire police force that their government would not leave their families alone and helpless if they sacrificed their life in the line of their duty,” said the former president.

The Inspector General Sindh AD Khawaja also briefed Zardari on the attack at the shrine. The IG said there were 4,000 devotees at the time of the attack.

“Counter Terrorism Department has been assigned the investigation and geo fencing data was being obtained,” said the police official.

He added that seven to eight kilogrammes of explosive were used in the attack, with lead, empty 9mm cartridges and ball bearings used for fragmentation effects.

Zardari on the occasion said the areas bordering the provincial bodies should have strict mechanisms in place to check movement of people.