Korangi Industrial Area: Sindh police to train, equip private security force

These guards will provide special protection to businessmen.

KARACHI:

Federal Minister for Interior, Rehman Malik has said that the Sindh police will train and equip the private security force of Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (Kati), which will be at the disposal of business representatives of the industrial zone.

He said this while speaking to industrialists at Kati on Saturday. The force will also get full support from police and rangers in their operations, he stated.

A crisis management cell that is already working at Kati will get the assistance of senior police and rangers officials who will coordinate all rangers and police operations in the industrial zone, he added.

A DIG level police officer, who will have the designation of DIG Industrial Security Zone, will be responsible for the security of all major seven industrial zones of Karachi, he said, adding that the Sindh police and rangers will further increase their patrolling in all seven industrial zones of the city.

Malik said the government is trying to resolve security problems of Karachi on a permanent basis. The government has also blocked 20.1 million unauthorised SIM cards and ordered FIA to block Chinese-made mobile phones that have dubious registration numbers (IMEI number), he stated.

The conviction of Rangers’ personnel in Sarfaraz Shah murder case put lot of pressure on Rangers, Malik said, adding that the target killings of dozens of policemen over the last one year also had demoralised law enforcing agencies.

Furthermore, public pressure also put their reputation at stake, which believes law enforcing agencies had failed in controlling target killings in the city. “Today, the situation of the city has improved largely but we have to work more to make this positive change on permanent basis,” he said.

Businessmen lauded the political will that government has shown in recent weeks against the target killers and urged to continue such efforts to bring peace in the financial capital. They also urged the government to further improve security in industrial areas of Karachi –the nerve centre of financial and trade activities of country.

They also welcomed the return of MQM in coalition government and said this will definitely help the businesses in Sindh and Pakistan.

Representatives of the business community further said government should continue to take strict actions in Karachi against those who try to disturb the business environment of city.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2011.