First meeting of Sindh Cabinet: Province to hire 7,500 policemen, import APCs

Sharjeel Memon reveals plan to import 200 new buses.

KARACHI:

The Sindh government will increase allocations for crime fighting, appoint 7,500 policemen and import over two dozen armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and other equipment to deal with the law and order situation in Sindh.

This was decided at the first meeting of the new cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah at CM House.

The meeting that continued till late Saturday night was attended by the newly appointed seven ministers, one adviser and officials of police, finance and planning department.

Manzoor Wassan, Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Sharjeel Inam Memon, Ali Nawaz Mahar, Makhdoom Jameel ul Zaman, Nisar Khuhro and Murad Ali Shah were among those who attended the meeting.

“The Sindh government will appoint 7,500 police personnel to improve the law and order in the province,” Sharjeel Memon said while briefing the media outside the CM House after the meeting.

He said that the SHO and the SSP of the area will be held responsible for incidents of targeted killing and that this measure will help make the police force accountable for incidents in their respective precincts.

Regarding appointments made during the caretaker government, Memon said the interim set up had no mandate to hire or fire government officials. He said it was likely that the appointments made by the caretakers would be annulled.



He said the provincial government has decided to put 400 hundred more buses on the roads in Karachi to improve the public transport fleet.

“Sindh government will import 200 new busses and revamp the dysfunctional 200 buses earlier procured by the then City District Government of Karachi,” he said. A committee consisting of Nisar Khuhro, Akhter Jadoon and Sharjeel Memon has been constituted for the purpose, he added.

Memon also said that to improve the energy sector the provincial government will make all out efforts to get the Thar Coal project rolling.

Meanwhile during the meeting IG Sindh Shahid Nadeem Baloch briefed the cabinet about police requirements, shortage of personnel and lack of facilities.

The meeting was informed that due to lack of APCs it was not possible for police to take action against the criminals who are now armed with the same, or better, weapons as paramilitary forces.

It was decided to import more than two dozen APCs along with other equipment for Karachi police to deal with these threats.

During the meeting secretary finance Muhammad Sohail Rajput and secretary planning and development Arif Ahmed Khan also briefed the cabinet about utilisation of funds allocated by the last government for the year 2012-13 and proposal for upcoming budget for financial year 2013-14.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2013.