KARACHI: Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday appreciated the role of armed forces supporting the civil administration for execution of the Rs1.1 trillion Karachi Transformation Plan announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan in September 2020.

During a visit to the headquarters of Corps V, the army chief also lauded the performance of law enforcement agencies for bringing down the crime rate and terrorism activities in the metropolis.

Corps Commander Lt Gen Muhammad Saeed received the army chief who was given a briefing about different jobs of the force in the city.

“The COAS was also briefed on formation’s support to civil administration in implementation of the Karachi Transformation Plan (KTP) including FWO [Frontier Works Organisation], NLC [National Logistic Cell] and NDMA’s [National Disaster Management Authority] efforts for improvement in existing infrastructure to safeguard against urban flooding in Karachi and uplift of relevant civic facilities,” said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Army chief visits police head office, meets martyrs’ families

The army chief appreciated synergised efforts of all stakeholders in implementation of the transformation plan, it added.

Last year, Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced the ambitious uplift package for the development of the country’s financial capital. Several projects relating to water supply, solid waste management, storm water drains clearance and resettlement, sewage treatment, road infrastructure and mass transit are part of the KTP and different military organisations have been working on many of these projects.

Sacrifices of police, Rangers for peace lauded

“The COAS lauded the services and sacrifices of formation and Pakistan Rangers Sindh for maintaining law and order resulting in significant decline in terrorism and crime rate over the years and providing a secure environment for socio-economic activities,” the ISPR statement said.

Later, Gen Bajwa also visited the Central Police Office (CPO), met the families of the martyrs of the law enforcement agency and assured them of full support of the army.

“The COAS visited the headquarters of the Sindh police and laid a floral wreath on the martyrs’ monument,” said the statement.

The army chief hailed the pivotal role of the Sindh police in ensuring improvement in security situation in the province.

Gen Bajwa also interacted with families of martyrs of the Sindh police and thanked them for their sacrifices. He assured them of all-out support of the Army.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2021