Adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister on Law Murtaza Wahab on Wednesday said that the draft law for legislation on e-tagging of street criminals had been prepared and sent for vetting amid an alarming rise in crime, particularly in Karachi.

He shared this development during a meeting presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and also attended by Karachi police chief, Additional Inspector General (IG) Ghulam Nabi Memon,

The Karachi police chief told the participants that 7,500 street criminals in the metropolis, who were either on the run from the law or out on bail, were identified as repeat offenders.

According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office, the meeting was held at the CM House, during which "the chief minister formally approved the proposal of e-tagging of repeat offenders and directed his law adviser to expedite its vetting so that it could be discussed and approved in the [provincial] cabinet."

Moreover, CM Shah directed his adviser on law and Sindh Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Maher to engage a "panel of leading lawyers" for prosecution in cases against repeat offenders and the cancellation of their bail.

The chief minister directed police officials to make arrangements for engaging "competent private lawyers" for prosecution in high-profile cases.

"I want to put a sizable number of lawyers on a panel and the complainant of the case will have the choice to select any lawyer out of the panel to prosecute their case,” the statement quoted him as saying.

The chief minister recalled that in the last meeting called to discuss street crime, he had directed the police to begin "extensive patrolling" and take strict action against street criminals.

Sharing the progress on this front, the Karachi police chief told CM Shah that from January to February 28, there had been 143 encounters by police, in which 15 street criminals were killed, 147 were injured and 1,446 were arrested.

The chief minister was told that patrolling had been increased in the city and intelligence-based targeted operations were also in progress.

Taking drug addicts off streets key to control crime

CM Shah also recalled that he had previously issued instructions for police and the city administration to take drug addicts off the streets.

In this regard, Sindh Chief Secretary Mumtaz Ali Shah said a suitable place had been identified in the city's Gulshan-i-Maymar area to set up a rehabilitation facility for such drug addicts.

The chief minister issued directives to ensure the availability of all the needed facilities at the proposed rehabilitation centre so that police could begin moving drug addicts there from the streets.

“Drug addicts are involved in street crime and, therefore, their removal from the street[s] is [of] utmost importance,” he said.

Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Fayaz Jatoi, Sindh Home Secretary Saeed Mangnijo and others also attended today's meeting.