Drugs, crime dominate SA session

KARACHI:

The law-and-order situation and easy access to drugs, particularly in Karachi, once again dominated the Sindh Assembly session, with Opposition members of provincial assembly (MPAs) belonging to different parties highlighting rising street crime and drug use on campuses.

As the session started Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan's (MQM-P) Rabia Khatoon said in her notice that street crime in Karachi was increasing at an alarming level.

"Citizens are being robbed in every part of the city. It seems that the police and law enforcement agencies have become helpless," she said. Earlier, the criminals would use small firearms during their activities, but now they are automatic weapons, she said.

She said that a lot of these holds up were taking place with people having tea at roadside dhabas (café), while criticisng the Sindh government over its failure to curb crime and control inflation.

Responding to her concerns, the provincial government representatives said that efforts were afoot to control crime and crackdown on drug use in educational institutions.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla said that 129 suspected criminals were killed and 1,047 were injured in encounters during the past 12 months.

He said that police helpline 15 was quite active, while another campaign would start from Tuesday (today) to check the registration of vehicles and to seize those vehicles for which documents aren't complete.

Shahnawaz Jadoon of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in his notice maintained that on February 17, a student was kidnapped in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, but the police were refusing to register the FIR. "What steps is the Sindh government taking to recover the student?," Jadoon asked.

Chawla replied that a report had been sought from the relevant police station.

Drainage

In yet another call-attention notice, MQM-P's Rabia Khatoon asked about steps were taken by the local government department to ensure people's safety and proper arrangement to drain out rainwater during the monsoon season.

"There are several big and small drains in Karachi but only three of them were cleaned. If the cleaning work is done on time, major damage can be avoided," she maintained.

Parliamentary Secretary Salim Baloch said that the provincial government had issued grants to the Karachi Municipal Corporation and the District Municipal Corporations to clean more than 500 drains. "Monsoon starts from June in Karachi and arrangements have been made that the work should be finished by May," he said.

He added that the provincial government would issue grants to KMC and DMCs and also form a committee.

PTI's parliamentary leader Khurram Sher Zaman said in his call-attention notice that the new generation was being destroyed by drugs in schools, colleges and universities. "If the chief minister is repeatedly failing to curb the menace, why is he not replaced?"

The PTI minister said that the chief minister should share his point of view on the issue in the Assembly.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2023.