KARACHI, Oct 7: Sindh and federal governments are committed to elimination of all 'no-go' areas in the city and the province.

This was stated by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, while speaking at a ceremony held at the Governor's House on Thursday for distribution of cheques among the no-go areas affectees in Karachi.

An amount of Rs70 million was distributed among 1,311 affected families in the areas like Landhi, Korangi, Malir, Shah Faisal Colony, Qasba, Aligarh, Liaquatabad and other localities.

The affected families were presented cheques of Rs45,000, Rs75,000 and Rs100,000, according to the severity of their sufferings, by the governor, ministers, MNAs and MPAs.

Cheques of Rs45,000 each were distributed among 90 affected families, of Rs50,000 among 1,036 families, for Rs75,000 among 173 families, while 12 families were given Rs100,000 cheques each.

The governor said the presence of 1,311 families or their representatives was a testimony to the fact that they were subjected to injustices, oppression and excesses. "It is spirit of your tolerance that truth finally emerged victorious," the governor said, addressing the affected families.

He said that the families had suffered economically as well as socially over a period of 10 to 12 years, adding that those who were 10 or 12 years of age at that time, today had fully grown, and they all suffered on account of their education and faced many other problems also.

But despite all this, he observed, they demonstrated an exemplary spirit of endurance and tolerance in face of oppression and persecution. Dr Ibad said that before coming into power we had declared that not only Karachi, but whole of Sindh would be cleared of no-go areas and everyone would be free to move about any where without any restriction.

He said that in achieving the objective of eliminating these areas we were thankful to President Gen Musharraf, who issued an order to redress the pain and agony of the affected people and his order was implemented by the Sindh government.

He also thanked the then prime minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, the then Karachi Corps Commander Lt Gen Tariq Waseem Ghazi, DG Rangers Maj Gen Satti and the present corps commander and present DG Rangers, Principal Secretary Brig Akhtar Zamin, former and present home ministers and secretaries.

The governor commended IGP Kamal Shah, who while realizing the pain and agony of the sufferers, helped resolve the problem. He said the amount being distributed today, couldn't compensate for what the families suffered.

This was only an acknowledgement that people at the Centre and the province felt their pain and sufferings and that whatever had happened at that time was wrong and the present leadership wanted to rectify the same, he added. -APP