Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has shown concern on the spread of private security agencies and their poor performance while presiding over a high-level meeting to review the security situation in the province on Thursday.
He said the performance of some security agencies was very poor, neither their security guards are neither fully trained nor equipped with modern weapons. He said a comprehensive system should be evolved for reviewing the performance of private security agencies in the province. He directed the Home Secretary to arrange detailed briefing with regard to private security agencies. He said that a merit based system to scrutinise private security agencies must be evolved.
The CM also expressed concern about the security of financial institutions. He directed the District Peace Committees to convene regularly. Subsequently, he expressed concern at growing land-grabbing and extortion cases in the province. He declared the anti-land grabbing campaigns in Lahore and Faisalabad successful. He appreciated the police operations in Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur’s riverine areas and directed the Inspector General (IG) Police Javed Iqbal to provide him a list of the equipment required by police in the area.
The IG informed the CM about the department’s progress against criminals in the province. He said that a successful operation against criminals was carried out in the areas of Katcha for which assistance of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police was sought. He informed the CM that eleven boats had also been sent to riverine posts in these areas. Capital City Police Officer Ahmad Raza Tahir gave a briefing on steps taken to curb crime in the city.
CM on education: Seperately, Shahbaz at the launch of a Microsoft Workshop on Thursday said that the youth required modern knowledge and the Punjab government was promoting Information Technology in the province. The CM praised Microsoft’s cooperation for the programme which would conduct workshops in nine divisions of the province, providing information technology, women development, media and communication and management training to 360 members of the Punjab Youth Council (PYC).
PYC Chairman Saif Hameed said the PYC had been set up to include youth in the development of the province. Provincial Minister for Education Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman, Provincial Assembly Member Dr Saeed Elahi, Higher Education secretary, Punjab Board of Information Technology chairman, Microsoft country manager and Punjab Youth Council chairman were also present.
CM on Saudi Arabia: Separately, the Punjab CM has said that Saudi Arabia, by supporting Pakistan in hardships, has proved its brotherhood with Pakistan. Talking to assembly members on Thursday, the CM said when Pakistan carried out nuclear tests, Saudi Arabia which provided oil worth billions of rupees to Pakistan free of cost.