Civil-military huddle approves operation against anti-state elements in Karachi

The civil and military huddle on Friday decided to launch a targeted operation against 787 repeat offenders, 244 drug peddlers, 224 land grabbers and anti-state elements to curb terrorism in the city and other districts of Sindh.

The meeting decided to covertly install trackers on the motorcycles of such repeat offenders so that their movement and activity could be effectively monitored. The moot was presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and it took strong exception to the alarming rise in drug addiction at educational institutions in Karachi.

It directed excise, taxation and narcotics officials to start a crackdown with the help of police, Rangers and intelligence agencies against peddlers who supply synthetic and other kinds of drugs to students.

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"The use of synthetic drugs by students of schools and colleges is on the rise in Karachi. The police and district administration must engage with university administrations/academia and initiate a crackdown against drug peddlers to curb the menace," the meeting decided.

The CM House spokesperson, while referring to the meeting’s decisions, said that students should be thoroughly monitored by the school, college and university administrations on campuses to check if they are taking drugs.

The meeting discussed the recent incidents of terrorism in Karachi. However, street crime, land grabbing, illegal immigrants, social media usage by terrorist outfits and operations against dacoits in katcha areas were among other issues that were taken up at the meeting.

The premier agencies have been assigned the task to comb out those who were spreading venomous material on social media and brainwashing youngsters against the state, instigating them to kill innocent people as was the case in the Karachi University suicide attack.

“We will have to control anti-statement and anti-social elements by using the latest technology, gadgets and tools, including social media," the handout issued by the CM House reads.

Regarding the street crime, the meeting was informed that through an extensive exercise, it was determined that of the criminals operating in the city, 787 persons have been identified as repeat offenders, while there are 540 drug dealers and 244 land grabbers.

The lists of the identified criminals, prepared by the agencies, were shared so that action, as decided by the chief minister, could be accelerated.

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In the list, names of the criminals, their addresses, CNICs, mobile numbers, photos or exposure, and age have been mentioned. It was pointed out that most of the street criminals, drug dealers or land grabbers might be used by terrorists in their anti-state activities.

Drawing from the comparison of current and earlier statistics of street crime, the officials informed the civil and military huddle that in 2013, street crime cases were recorded at 1,506 cases per month, but the number has increased to 3,939 per month in 2022.

However, the public confidence in the police has increased. "In 2013, people were afraid and had no confidence in the police to register a case. With the passage of time, public confidence in police has improved and they have started registering their cases," IG Mushtaq Mahar told the meeting.

The meeting also decided to install trackers in the motorcycles. The task of installation of trackers in motorcycles was assigned to new Transport Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon. "This issue has been pending for the last few years. This matter comes into the meeting on and off, but now it needs to be implemented," Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah told the participants.

Anti-state slogans

It was pointed out in the meeting that during different protests and rallies, slogans were raised against the state and its institutions. The chief minister said that such an attitude was unacceptable. He added that he would not tolerate such elements. Shah directed the police and Rangers to monitor such elements and take action against them.

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Also, the meeting took serious notice of blasts on railway tracks and directed agencies to act against the involved persons.

Regarding illegal Immigrants, the meeting was told that around 400,000 unregistered Afghan nationals were living in Karachi. As many as 71,429 Afghans are registered cardholders and illegal immigrants of other nationalities are in addition to them.

Land grabbers

Several incidents of illegal occupation of government and private land by land grabbers have surfaced and they have strong links with criminal elements. The chief minister said that the provincial government had created an anti-encroachment force at the Board of Revenue in 2011.

The anti-encroachment police in 2022 registered 80 FIRs and arrested 150 land grabbers. The chief minister directed the chief secretary to decentralise the anti-encroachment police to the district level and keep monitoring their performance.