CM Murad fears influx of illegal immigrants

Tells law enforcers to be prepared for fallout from Afghanistan


Our Correspondent July 30, 2021
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI:

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah directed the police and other law enforcement agencies on Thursday to beef up security and enhance coordinated intelligence work to deal with the potential influx of illegal immigrants.

He feared that immigrants would flee across the border due to the volatile situation in Afghanistan.

"After the withdrawal of US troops in Afghanistan and Taliban advancement, the rise in insurgency may affect Pakistan, particularly Karachi, in terms of terrorism and the influx of illegal immigrants," the CM said. "Therefore, we have to be prepared to control the situation," Shah added.

He was speaking at the meeting of the Apex Committee, which convened to review major heads of crime in the province and observed that during 2021, terrorism, target killing and kidnapping for ransom had almost come to an end. However, it pointed out that murders and incidents of extortion had increased by 25 per cent and 65 per cent, respectively, compared to 2020.

It was stated the rise in extortion and murder cases were the result of operations in katcha areas and personal enmities or disputes.

On the recommendation of the Sindh IGP, the meeting also decided to ban rallies, protests, sit-in demonstrations and the assembly of persons at 11 specific points of Karachi. These included arterial highways, railway tracks and their adjacent areas, intercity bus terminals and major roads through the province. The ACS Home said that it has already issued a notification imposing Section 144 for 60 days.

Read More: 'Stability in Afghanistan will generate economic activities for whole region'

Meanwhile, in light of recent incidents the CM said that no high-handedness would be tolerated against minorities. According to Shah, minorities have equal rights in the country.

Similarly, he said crimes against women and children were intolerable and must be curbed.

On alert

Special Branch Additional IG Ghulam Nabi Memon told the meeting that the clashes between Taliban and the Afghan government may bring illegal immigrants to the province, particularly Karachi.

He said this could bring a rise in criminal activities in Karachi to generate funds to meet the requirements of terrorists. The CM directed law enforcement agencies to speed up their targeted operation against terrorists. Shah urged an eagle eye to be cast over banned outfits and their activities.

The meeting agreed to enhance security on all fronts and improve sectarian harmony by meeting with ulemas. The chief minister decided to revamp the intelligence set up of the special branch and directed Sindh IGP Mushtaq Maher to boost levels of preparedness.

It was pointed out that the attacks on law enforcement agencies had decreased from 15 in 2020 to three in 2021.

Crimes recorded

Maher said that as of July 15, 254 people had been murdered in the province in the current year. There are leads in 126 of these cases and 161 suspects were taken into custody, said Maher, adding that no political, ethnic or sectarian target killing was reported. "Most of the murders were committed due to personal enmities." he said.

The meeting was apprised that 28 kidnapping for ransom cases were reported and only 12 proved to be genuine incidents. Some 36 persons were arrested and three suspects were killed in alleged encounters. Besides, 74 cases of extortion were recorded and 62 of them were solved, said the IGP, adding that four alleged extortionists were killed while 94 were arrested. Some of the 12 gangs found to be involved in as many cases of extortion were also busted, said the police chief.

The meeting was told that an average, 67.6 instances of street crime were recorded in Karachi daily with 3,181 instances reported as of July 15 in 2021. Speaking on the performance of the city police in 2021, he said the force had been involved in 189 alleged encounters, 25 suspects were arrested and 607 were caught red handed. Minhas said 3,735 different kinds of illegal weapons were recovered.

Tribal feuds

Moreover, the meeting was told that tribal feuds such as Sabozai-Chachar in Kashmore claimed 12 lives on May 15, 2021, Teghani-Bijarani in Shikarpur district has so far claimed 26 lives and various others areas have become breeding nurseries for outlaws and dacoits. The CM said that political influence would be used to bring an end to tribal feuds. The police and district administration should continue their work to stop tribal clashes, he added.

With regards to the operation in Katcha area, Maher said 89 alleged encounters happened in Ghotki, 75 in Sukkur, 73 in Kashmore and 68 in Shikarpur. The police busted 49 gangs and killed 16 dacoits, nine in Sukkur, four in Kashmore and three in Shikarpur and recovered 83 abductees and arrested 42 kidnappers, he added.

Safe city project

Moreover, the meeting was briefed that 10,000 high-definition cameras or complete surveillance systems would be installed under the safe city project. A project inception report, technical viability assessment report, bidding documents, PC-1s, a survey report and control room survey were handed over to the National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC) in this regard.

The cabinet approved the proposal to engage NRTC and an MoU was signed in this regard. The corporation has submitted an estimated Rs29.67 billion cost for the project which is Rs5.91 billion higher than the figure approved in the PC-I.

The CM said that he has already allocated Rs6 billion for the project but it has been delayed for one reason or another. He formed a committee comprising technical experts of the Pakistan Army, the police, the planning and development department and some members of the private sector to evaluate the financial proposal for the NRTC. The committee was told to submit its report within six weeks so that the work may begin.

Shah also directed all law enforcement agencies to develop strong coordination to eliminate the nexus of banned outfits with dacoits. 'This is a new and emerging threat and it has to be dealt with an iron fist," the CM said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30th, 2021.

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