A file photo of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. PHOTO: PPI
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah presided over a meeting of the apex committee where attendees included Senior Minister Nisar Khuhro, Corps Commander Lt Gen Shahid Baig Mirza, Chief Minister’s Advisers Maula Bux Chandio and Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, DG Rangers Maj Gen Mohammad Saeed, IG AD Khawaja, AIG CTD Sanaullah Abbasi, AIG Mushtaq Maher, Prosecutor General Shahadat Awan and heads of provincial agencies.
AD Khawaja retakes charge as IG Sindh
“We are holding the 19th apex committee meeting which speaks volumes for our commitment, but the federal government is not taking it seriously,” the chief minister said.
“NAP calls for banning the glorification of terrorists, but it is still going on in the media; there should have been a crackdown against banned outfits, but they are openly holding meetings. The policy is not clear. It looks as if the federal government has given a free hand to banned organisations. NAP also calls for repatriating illegal immigrants, but no tangible progress has been made thus far, while the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (Nacta) is yet to be made functional,” he said.
Briefing the meeting, Home Secretary Shakeel Mangnijo said that in 2014, Numbeo, an international database organisation, had listed Karachi sixth on its ‘Crime and Safety Index’ but now it had downgraded the metropolis to 31th place.
On this, the chief minister said: “Credit for this goes to this forum which plans, executes and supports targeted operations and crushes terrorists, target killers, extortionists and kidnappers. I have deliberately convened this meeting to convey a message to the people of this megalopolis that the PPP government was starting the year with maintaining law and order and further planning to ensure sustainable peace in the city.”
The home secretary said that ATC courts had decided 149 cases in December last year, convicting 34 criminals. The Sindh government, he said, had requested the interior ministry to include 94 madressahs in the First Schedule (effectively ban them) while seven more people had been included in Schedule IV in December alone. As many as 581 persons had already been included in Schedule IV.
According to the secretary, the National Action Plan dealt with a 20-point agenda and 11 of them pertained to the provincial government.
He said that 16 condemned prisoners had been executed since the launch of NAP, 13 others have been awarded death sentences by military courts but none of them has been executed. He said that appeals filed by seven convicts were rejected and their second appeals were pending in the Sindh High Court (SHC) and one in the Supreme Court. Six other appeals were pending with the GHQ, he said.
Apex committee decides to launch crackdown against street criminals
Referring to military court cases, officials said the provincial government had referred 105 cases to the interior ministry; only 29 were cleared and sent to military courts for trials.
The government pointed out that it was taking stiff action for stopping the flow of funds to terrorist organisations, besides banning forcible collection of Fitrana and hides. Audits, it said, had been initiated by the social welfare department and seven cases had been registered for financing terrorists and 11 accused had been arrested.
The meeting was informed that approval had been given for establishing 2,000-strong Counter Terrorism Force and 700 men had so far been recruited. The CTD was being provided 3G and 4G locators, besides enabling it to access NADRA database. An anti-terrorism financing unit was also being set up while an explosives lab and a canine unit were also being set up.
A scheme to install surveillance cameras at places of worship of minorities had been approved at a cost of Rs400 million.
The meeting was informed that there were 10,033 Madressahs and 7,724 of them were functional with an enrolment of 547,695 students, including 818 foreigners.
Rangers’ progress
The apex committee was informed that since September 2013, the Rangers had conducted 8,849 combing operations, handed over 6,892 criminals to police, arrested 1,493 terrorists, 975 target killers, 440 extortionists, 116 kidnappers while 151 hostages had been recovered, 10,560 weapons and 620,783 ammunition had been seized.
The corps commander assured the apex committee of support and said he was willing to provide necessary support to train the newly-recruited police force. He also assured supporting the police for establishing a canine unit.
He also said that he was working with DHA to secure land for a forensic lab. “Pakistan Army is ready to provide necessary support to the police, provincial government and the people of Karachi,” he said.
Street crime
Expressing concerns over the increasing incidence of street crimes, the apex committee vowed to continue the Karachi operation till its logical end.
In response, the chief minister directed IG AD Khawaja to take necessary action to stop it.
The CM asked his law adviser, Murtaza Wahab, and Prosecutor General Shahadat Awan to suggest whether cases of street crimes could be sent to anti-terrorism courts.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 3rd, 2017.
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