IGPs agree to secure interprovincial borders

Forces of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan to collaborate and eliminate criminal hideouts

LAHORE: The provincial inspector generals of three provinces, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan, all of which share borders, have agreed to develop a joint action plan to eliminate criminal/militant hideouts in these areas.

The Expert Group for Tri Border-Security held a meeting at the Central Police Office (CPO) on Tuesday.

The moot was chaired by Punjab Inspector General Police Captain (r) Arif Nawaz Khan, while Sindh IG Dr Syed Kaleem Imam and his counterpart in Balochistan, Muhsan Hassan Butt, participated via video link. Additional IG Balochistan Naeem Akram Bharoka was also part of the discussion.

The three police chiefs reviewed, in detail, matters related to tri-border security. The objective was to develop a consensus on a joint action plan that would later be submitted to Prime Minister Imran Khan through the Federal Interior Ministry.

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According to the action plan in the tri-border area of Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan, joint operations would be carried out to eliminate hideouts of criminal elements. During the meeting, it was also agreed to purge the areas of border districts along the Indus River. For this purpose, the police chiefs of the three provinces agreed that the police force needs more weapons and equipment. It was decided that the government would be requested for the same so that police force could continue its operation without facing any shortages.

The meeting established that timely information sharing and intelligence-based operations were required to stop the movement of criminal elements in the area and to speed up operations. The participants said it was also necessary to keep close coordination with other law enforcement agencies.

The senior officials said riverine posts in border districts will be further strengthened, while Railways police would be enlisted for the joint operations. They said coordination at the grassroots level was agreed upon to stop all forms of weapon and drug smuggling in border districts. It was stated during the moot that the police forces of the three provinces would carry out operations simultaneously against criminals involved in kidnapping for ransom, robbery and other crimes. It was reiterated that such steps would stop the movement of criminal elements dead in their tracks.

The meeting decided that combing and intelligence-based operations would be conducted against networks of proscribed organisations which are involved in anti-state activities, funding and other criminal actions.

Finally, it was prescribed that the DPOs of tri border districts will meet on a monthly basis to further improve the border security. On the other hand, RPOs will meet after three months and inspector generals after six months to review the joint operations. The next meeting of the Expert Group for Tri Border Security will be held in Karachi in January 2020.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7^th, 2019.