KARACHI, May 9: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that the government is committed to maintaining law and order as it is a must for the country’s social and economic development.
Presiding over a meeting at the Chief Minister’s House on Friday, he ordered the authorities concerned to take prompt measures to rid Lyari of gangsters and evolve a strategy to improve socio-economic conditions of the area. In case of disturbances, he said, life in the city came to a standstill. Hospitals, schools, public offices, markets, business and industrial areas were affected, he said, adding that Karachi was mini-Pakistan and the country’s economic hub whose socio-economic activities depended on peaceful conditions.
To overcome shortage of police force, the chief minister said that the process of recruitment in the police force would be started soon. Expressing satisfaction over some improvement in law and order, he hoped that conditions would further improve and people would feel a visible change.
For the police officials, who laid down their lives in the line of duty, he said that a son of each deceased would be given job along with compensation to the family. A residential plot would be given in case the deceased had no children, he added.
The chief minister assured the authorities concerned that the needs and requirements of police would be fulfilled so that they could better perform. To prepare recommendations about the problems and requirements of Sindh Police, the chief minister formed a high-level committee, headed by Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, comprising chief secretary, home secretary, finance secretary, and inspector-general of police as its members.
Earlier, Sindh IG Shoaib Suddle briefed the chief minister on law and order in Karachi.
He said the city spread over 3,527sq-km had a population of 16 million. With 1.756 million vehicles, the city had a road infrastructure with their total length as around 8,000km. There were 103 police stations including those associated with the KESC, Karachi Port Trust, Mines & Minerals and the National Accountability Bureau.
Of 34,106 sanctioned posts in city police, he said, 6,222 were lying vacant including 37 posts of inspectors, 23 of sub-inspectors, 658 of assistant sub-inspectors and 5,124 constables.
CCPO Babar Khattak said there was a decline in street crime if the monthly record was taken into account. He said 2,326 cellphones were snatched in January, 2,269 in February, 2,539 in March, 2,239 in April, while 351 had been snatched so far in May. Likewise, 270 motorcycles were snatched in January, 283 in February, 551 in March, 472 in April, and 79 in the first nine days of May. Similarly, he said, 107 four-wheelers were snatched in January, 128 in February, 198 in March, 127 in April while 11 in May, showing a decline in the rate of car snatchings. He said that 15 robbery cases were registered, 19 persons were kidnapped, three kidnappers were killed in encounters while 23 kidnappers were arrested during the period. In shootouts with police, about 464 criminals were held, while 29 SMGs, 29 rifles, 37 repeater guns, 1,163 pistols and 34 hand-grenades were seized. Twenty-one police personnel were killed and 51 were injured in these shootouts.
About the law and order situation in Lyari, the meeting was informed that the area was infested with notorious gangs, two among them were the Arshad Papoo and Rehman Dakait gangs. During police encounters, four gangsters were killed, 49 were arrested and 23 cases were registered from January to May.
Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, Chief Secretary Fazal-ur-Rehman, IG Shoaib Suddle, Home Secretary Arif Khan, CCPO Babar Khattak, DIG Investigation Ghulam Quadir Thebo, DIGs (Operation) East, West and South, and other high officials were present at the meeting.