Sheikh Rashid rules out possibility of governor’s rule in Sindh

Interior minister clarifies he is in Karachi ‘only to discuss law and order’, not on any other 'mission'

A day after Prime Minister Imran Khan directed to formulate a strategy in coordination with the law enforcement agencies to control the "deteriorating law and order" in Sindh, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of governor's rule in the province.

The development comes after Minister for Planning Asad Umar and the interior minister briefed the premier on the province’s situation following the martyrdom of two policemen at the hands of bandits in Shikarpur.

PM Imran discussed in detail Sindh’s situation with Governor Imran Ismail and Asad Umar, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said in a tweet on Tuesday.

“Both leaders conveyed their serious concerns over the Sindh's government’s mismanagement, especially prevailing law and order and rising crime [in the province] to the prime minister,” Fawad wrote on his official handle.

وزیر اعظم عمران خان نے گورنر سندہ عمران اسماعیل اور وزیر پلاننگ اسد عمر سے سندہ کی صورتحال پر تفصیلی گفتگو کی، دونوں اکابرین نے وزیراعظم کو سندہ کی انتظامی بدانتظامی اور خصوصاً امن و امان اور بڑھتے ہوئے جرائم پر اپنی شدید تشویش سے آگاہ کیا،

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) May 25, 2021

Talking to the media after arriving in Karachi, Sheikh Rashid said that the only reason for his visit is to discuss the law and order of the province and he is not on any other "mission".

"It is the call of the prime minister whether to conduct a Rangers operation or take any other action," he added.

Rashid said he will meet Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah and Governor Imran Ismail tomorrow (Thursday) and a meeting is also scheduled at the Rangers headquarters.

The interior minister also announced that illegal drugs would be eliminated from the streets of Karachi very soon. "I take responsibility that I will eradicate illegal drugs from Karachi."

He said that law and order was the provincial government's domain and he does not interfere in anyone's jurisdiction, adding that the Centre provides "assistance whenever needed".

To a question about a group of like-minded lawmakers in the lower house of parliament and the Punjab Assembly led by estranged PTI leader Jehangir Tareen, Rashid said that "there is only one group in the PTI and its name is Imran Khan."

He said that PM Imran will complete his tenure and will rule the country with complete authority.

On Sunday, two policemen and a civil tracker were martyred in an operation against dacoits in Shikarpur district's riverbed area in Khanpur.

A day later, a notable feudal lord of the Sardar Tegho Khan Teghani tribe was arrested from Karachi along with his two sons and a nephew in connection with the incident. He is known for wielding influence on the bandits of his area.

Also read: Influential tribal chief held in Karachi for ‘abetting’ Shikarpur bandits

At a press conference in Shikarpur, Larkana DIG Nasir Aftab Pathan and Shikarpur SSP Ameer Saud Magsi claimed that the police had killed six bandits and arrested three of them besides injuring 12 others.

The deceased and injured suspects were taken away by the bandits.

Denying accusations of starting an ill-planned and hasty operation against the well-armed dacoits around Garhi Tegho area along the riverbed, the officers maintained that the operation made headway for two days before the killings of the policemen. "The outlaws of Teghani, Qambrani and Jaffery tribes besides other groups infest the katcha area. Conducting an operation there was difficult but the police have secured gains," they claimed.

The officers said the chain of one of their armoured personnel carriers was broken after which the dacoits launched rocket attacks on the vehicle, killing two policemen and a civilian sitting inside it. The police rescued five other cops who were in that vehicle, they added.