SUKKUR, April 24: Sindh Chief Minister Mohammad Ali Mahar has announced that 170,000 acres of land will be distributed among peasants.

He said that the ongoing operation against bandits in the forests of Shah Belo and Alif Kutcho would continue and hinted that army might also be called to help police.

He was speaking at a press conference at the circuit house here on Saturday after attending a briefing about the on-going operation against bandits, given by Sindh IGP Syed Kamal Shah; Sukkur RPO Rahoo Khan Brohi; DIG Ramzan Channa and DPO Ghulam Shabbir Shaikh.

The briefing was also attended by provincial adviser on home affairs Aftab Ahmed Shaikh, chief secretary Mutawakkal Qazi, home secretary Syed Anwar Haider, Sukkur District Nazim Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Sukkur region police chief Rahoo Khan Brohi and the officials of Ranger and an intelligence agency.

Saying that help from tribal chieftains would also be sought in the operation, the chief minister added that those who provided shelter to bandits deserved severe punishment.

He admitted that inefficiency of the police force badly affected operations against bandits and efforts to control the law and order situation but said that the Sindh government was satisfied with the results of the present operation.

He said that he had talked to the corps commander of Sindh as they might need the help of army in some technical aspects.

Mr Mahar said that after eliminating bandits, police stations would be established in the riverine area.

He said that it was wrong to assume that after an increase in water level in the River Indus, the operation would loose its impact. He added that police were being provided with boats and motorboats to patrol the river and check movement of bandits.

Answering a question, he said that bandits had been asked to surrender and told that otherwise the operation would continue till its logical end.

Answering another question, he denied that crime rate had increased in Sindh and claimed that since he had resumed power, crime rate had fallen and law and order situation had improved in the province.

The chief minister welcomed the verdict of the Sindh High Court, Sukkur bench, imposing a ban on holding a jirga. However, he said that jirga was held in Afghanistan and the NWFP while in Sindh reconciliation took place between two rival groups through a mediator. In the same breath, he added that settling disputes over murder, Karo-kari and kidnapping through a jirga was wrong.

He further said that if a man was not happy with his wife, he should divorce her instead of killing her on the pretext of Karo-kari.

Earlier speaking at the briefing, the chief minister urged police officers to make all out efforts to eliminate crime in their areas. He also asked them to rid the areas of dacoits.

He assured police of assistance from the provincial government and said that required equipments would be provided to them.

He directed the police officials to take care that no innocent villager was harmed during the operation.

The chief minister praised those policemen who, despite the extensive heat, were engaged in the operation.