Following orders: Committee set up to look into the number of target killings

Separate police committee to determine how many policemen died and ensure compensation.

KARACHI:

The Sindh government has decided to form a committee to determine the total number of target killing victims and compensation for their families. It has taken this action as part of work to implement the Supreme Court’s Karachi violence suo motu verdict.

The committee will work under the supervision of Ali Saen Dino Metlo, a retired judge of the Sindh High Court (SHC), according to officials of the home department.

A summary was given to the chief minister to be approved. After this the committee will begin to work. The committee members will send a final list of the victims to the provincial government so that compensation can be handed to the families. Each family will get around Rs0.5 million.

Sindh Law Secretary Ghulam Nabi Shah confirmed that a committee was being set up but he was not sure who would head it.

He revealed that the police department was also directed by the government to set up yet another committee to determine the names of policemen who died in the violence. “We will brief the Supreme Court on whether the families of those policemen were compensated or not,” he said.

Anti-extortion wing

The home department officials also said that the provincial government is also working on another summary to establish an “Anti-extortion wing” in the city.

According to them, the decision was made because frequent complaints of extortion had been received, especially from businesses. More than 100 policemen will be recruited to the wing which will have a helpline like ‘Rescue 15’. An SSP will monitor operations and their offices will be set up in all three zones of Karachi.

“After inaugurating the wing, the government will launch a mobilisation campaign by advertising in newspapers so that people can call the helpline,” said the officials. The name of informers will be kept secret.

We have also decided to set up police stations in all industrial zones including SITE, Korangi, and New Karachi to curb extortion, they added.

The Supreme Court had also asked for a report from the Karachi Capital City Police Officer on the issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2011.