Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that overall law and order situation in Karachi is satisfactory but the security of education institutions must be beefed up keeping in view nefarious designs of the terrorists. “We cannot allow the enemies of our nation to destroy our future generation.”
He said this while presiding over an emergency meeting on law and order, particularly the security of educational institutions at the CM House on Thursday. The meeting was attended by Home Minister Sohial Anwar Siyal, Chief Secretary Siddique Memon, DG Rangers Major General Bilal Akbar, Home Secretary Mohammad Waseem, IG Ghulam Hyder Jamali, Principal Secretary to CM Alamuddin Bullo, Additional IG Karachi Mushtaq Maher, Commissioner Karachi Asif Hyder Shah, DIGs South Dr Jameel Ahmed and DIG East Kamran Fazal.
DG Ranger Major General Bilal Akbar said that the strategy of law enforcement agencies (LEA) was to take effective precautionary and preventive measures. “The precautionary measures include installation of CCTV cameras in and around educational institutions to be connected with main command and control centre, involvement of community in the security arrangements, activation of boys/girls scouts with necessary training, deployment of Rangers Rapid Response (Tel No 1101) and police RRF (Tel No 15) within the reach of few minutes and launching of Rangers and police patrolling on mobile and motorcycles around the educational institutions,” he said.
He said he had prepared a list of schools which need more security. “We (the police, Rangers and home secretary) would sit together and share the list and work out security strategy,” he said. “These are our children and we know how to protect them. We have enough force, so there is no need to worry,” he assured.
The chief minister said that after restoration of law and order in the city the confidence of the citizens had developed in the Rangers, police and the government. “It becomes our responsibility to come up to the expectation of the citizens. It is our responsibility to protect them,” he said.
IG Ghulam Hyder Jamali said over 15,000 educational institutions of different categories such as army schools, missionary schools, Cambridge system and government educational institutions were functioning in the city. “The army schools have their own security system. The schools of Cambridge system have also their security system but police and Rangers give them special security cover. The government and private universities have also security arrangements but they are not enough. Therefore, it must be beefed up according to the ground reality.”
DIG South Dr Jameel Ahmed said that there were 917 educational institutions in his area and 480 of them are private. “I have developed a booklet on the security measures necessary for educational institutions. I have distributed the booklet in schools and have held meetings with school managements,” he said, and added that the walls of schools should be at least eight to 10 feet long, with watch towers, CCTV system, centralised alarm system and security scanning of the staff working there.
Chief Secretary Siddique Memon, who is also the chief scouts, said there were more 160,000 scouts in Sindh. “I would personally chalk out a plan or the necessary trainings to combat terrorist attacks,” he said, and added that the scout trainers would be of Pakistan Army.
Secretary Education Fazullah Pechuho said that he had developed a SMS system in which all the government schools head masters, senior teachers and other concerned staff were connected within his short-messaging system. On this, the chief minister directed him to expand the system to private schools also so that in case of any emergency or alerts they could be kept informed and coordinated.
The chief minister taking policy decision directed the Rangers and police to set up check posts, station RRF forces near schools, start consultative meetings with school management, start patrolling in the both morning and evening shifts, equip schools with licensed arms, scan the staff of the schools for security reasons, and urge the school management to keep entry and exit points clear and checked and operation against terrorists be intensified. The coordination of intelligence agencies and sharing of information may also be made more effective.
