KARACHI, April 23: The government of Sindh has decided to take joint steps with the Balochistan government to control crimes of kidnapping for ransom, vehiclejacking and drug peddling. This was decided on Saturday in a meeting held at the Governor's House and presided over by the Sindh Governor, Dr Ishratul Ibad. The CPLC Chief, Sharafuddin Memon, briefed the meeting on details of kidnapping for ransom and vehicle snatching cases.

Dr Ibad said that stern steps should be taken without discrimination to suppress these heinous crimes. He asked the IGP Sindh and interior secretary to contact their counterparts in Balochistan and chalk out comprehensive strategies in this regard.

He said all roads from Karachi leading to other parts of the country should be kept under close vigil. He said all check posts should be upgraded and provided with scanners to keep an eye on the smuggling of drugs and vehicles.

The meeting, attended by Provincial Interior Minister Rauf Siddiqui, Inter-Provincial Liaison Minister Dr Suhrab Sarki, Information Adviser Salahuddin Haider, Excise Adviser M.A. Jalil, DG Rangers Major General Javed Zia, IGP Sindh Asad Jahangir, Secretary Interior Ghulam Muhammad Muhtaram, DCO Fazlur Rehman.

The meeting was told that the gang of notorious bandit Mushtaq Brohi was active in Sindh in connivance with Arshad Papu's gang. Brohi's gang was involved in kidnapping for ransom from Sindh and shifting the abducted persons to nearby areas of Balochistan.

The meeting decided that the police of Sindh and Balochistan, with the help of Rangers and the Frontier Constabulary, would launch an operation to wipe out hideouts of bandits on the Sindh-Balochistan border area.

On a suggestion from the CPLC, the Sindh governor asked the concerned officers to contact other provinces for computerizing the record of vehicles.

He said computerization of vehicles in Karachi could be possible only when this exercise was conducted in all parts of the country.

He said that data linkage of all provincial offices of provincial vehicle authorities and the National Database Registration Authority would help a lot in fighting vehicle snatching crimes.—PPI