Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that maintaining law and order in the province was top priority of his government.
“The country is passing through a sensitive phase of its history, particularly after the arrest of a RAW agent from Balochistan and disclosures that his agents are operating in Karachi. Therefore, necessary measures are required to be taken against them.”
He said this while presiding over a high-level meeting on law and order situation in the province at the CM House on Wednesday.
The chief minister said that arrest of RAW agent from Balochistan, over all law and order situation and sit-in of religious parties at Nimaish were three different issues and there should be a clear policy and strategy to handle them individually.
The meeting was told that the different agencies had arrested a number of criminals who had received training from India. The chief minister directed the concerned agencies to work on these lines so that RAW network, if any, in the province, particularly in Karachi, could be crushed.
The meeting also pointed out that after-effects of arrest of RAW agent could not be ruled out. Therefore, necessary measures have been taken to further strengthen the intelligence network, it was informed. Proper vigilance of the markets, parks, schools and other important places like railway stations, bus stands and hospitals have been made more effective. The chief minister said that Lahore-like soft attacks must be avoided through intelligence sharing and expanded CCTV coverage.
It was pointed out that the sit-in at Nimaish Chowrangi had disturbed the traffic flow almost in the entire city. The security of the people gathered at Nimaish is also a major issue that too when agents of foreign enemies were operating in the city.
On this, the chief minister said: “I am heading a political government. So, I am of the view that they (protesters) should be handled with dialogue. I am not in favour of using force,” he said and urged the commissioner to talk to them and convince them to disperse peacefully in the larger interest of the city.
The chief minister pointed out that the incidents of kidnapping for ransom and short-term kidnappings had started emerging again. “Though street crime has come down, it is to be addressed properly.” IGP AD Khwaja said that police were intolerant on kidnapping and such other heinous crime. “The SIU in an encounter recovered Mr Rehan and his daughter (the owner of a cement factory) who were kidnapped on March 22, 2016, from DHA Phase-VIII,” he said, and added that all the three kidnappers Qasim, Bilal and Usman were killed in encounter who were demanded Rs 25 million as ransom.
DG Rangers Major General Bilal Akbar also briefed the meeting on operation against terrorists in the city. He said that there was close coordination among all the agencies and they all were operating in the national interest.
He said he had solid data of the criminals working for RAW and other terrorists in Karachi and other parts of the province.
The agencies pointed that operation against terrorists had been launched in Ranjapur, therefore, the criminals might move to the katcha area of Sindh province. They suggested to seal borders through necessary measures. On this, the chief minister directed that chief secretary and the IGP to coordinate with Punjab and share necessary information with each other.
It was also pointed out that 2.8 million aligns were living in Karachi and some other areas of the province. The Afghanis were being repatriated as per policy of the federal government. As the illegal immigrants were concerned, the meeting decided to launch crackdown against them.
The chief minister directed the chief secretary to facilitate IDPs of operation Zarb-e-Azb for repatriation. Pakistan Army has already started their resettlement in their respective areas in North and South Waziristan and Bajur.
Those who attended the meeting include provincial ministers Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sohail Siyal, Murtaza Wahab, Maula Bux Chandio, Dr Qayoom Soomro, Chief Secretary Siddique Memon, DG Rangers Major General Bilal Akbar, IG Sindh AD Khwaja, Additional IG CTD Sanaullah Abbasi, Secretary to CM (U&B) Iqbal durani, Home Secretary Syed Jamal Shah, Commissioner Karachi Asif Hyder Shah, officers of intelligence agencies and others.