HYDERABAD: Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar has said that the police department is indeed facing financial issues, but still token allocation is made for its Safe City Project in the provincial budget for 2026-27.
This project would be a state-of-the-art project and at par with international standards, he said while speaking to journalists in Hyderabad, where here attended the central procession of Ashura and reviewed the security arrangements on the religious occasion on Friday.
Hyderabad Mayor Kashif Ali Shoro, Hyderabad Commissioner Fayyaz Abbasi, Deputy Commissioner Zainul Abiden Memon, DIG Tariq Dharejo and SSP Shahzeb Chachar accompanied him.
Mr Lanjar said that the 165,000-strong police force had been facing financial issues for the last three years. He said that there has been a pay raise demand but, be observed, the Sindh police force is getting a higher salary package than that of Punjab.
Says Safe City Project in Hyderbad may be completed under ‘public-private partnership’
About a proposal to seek business community’s support for the procurement of cameras to be installed under the Safe City Project, he said that the project’s Phase-I had already been completed. Now execution of the project in the divisional headquarters with the token allocation this year is being considered.
The project in these cities would executed out of the home department’s own funding, he said, and added: “We want to make a start”.
He said that the business community was supporting the Sindh police in this regard at local level in selected localities. But, he said, the Safe City Project in Hyderabad on the pattern of Karachi’s, would finally be completed in under a ‘public-private partnership’ arrangement for ensuring continuity.
Expressing his satisfaction over the security arrangements for the central procession, which was passing through the Station Road, the home minister noted that security forces across the province had been put on a high alert, especially in sensitive districts, where mobile phone services remained suspended till evening.
Besides thousands of police personnel, Rangers were also deployed and the army was on standby to assist them in maintaining law and order on the Ashura day.
He said that large processions were taken out in Karachi, Hyderabad, Rohri, Khairpur, Nawabshah and other cities for which fool-proof security arrangements were made. At most of the ‘sensitive spots’, the security forces were put on high alert. He said he visited Rohri and Nawabshah before coming to Hyderabad.
The minister acknowledged that Ulema extended full cooperation to the administrations and police in ensuring peaceful observance of Ashura.
Rumours of change
In reply to a query, he also said he know about rumours that have been doing the round regarding a “likely change” in the Sindh government. “It depends on the leadership to take such a decision,” he said, and added that the party has to accept every decision to be taken by the leadership.
He told a questioner that it was a member of the Sindh Assembly, not an ordinary person, who had recently that had hurled a threat of ‘Bori’ — a euphemism for the sacks containing a murdered human being — on the floor of the house.
He said he would submit his report in this regard (to the chief minister). He said the MPA’s speech was expunged from the assembly’s proceedings.
Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2026