Countering militancy: Separate police stations, jail to be set up

NAP execution committee also decides to establish camps for Afghan refugees outside city.

KARACHI:

The Sindh government has decided to establish separate police stations and a jail to deal with terrorism in the province.

This decision was made during a high-level meeting held at the provincial home department on Saturday, which was attended by officials from the police, intelligence agencies and home department.

Home secretary Abdul Qazi Kabeer told the media that two police stations had already been set up in Karachi to handle cases of terrorism and one police station each will be established in Hyderabad and Sukkur for the same purpose. "There will also be a separate jail for terrorists in Karachi," he said. "We have received approval from the higher authorities and will arrange the land for it soon."

Kabeer, who also heads the provincial execution committee for the National Action Plan, said that the committee had already referred 64 cases to the military courts and shortlisted 21 more cases to send to them. He added that the government will soon make laws for the establishment of mosques and seminaries in the province. "No one can establish mosques or madrassas without government approval."

Responding to a question about political influence within the police department, the home secretary said, "Transfers and posting are being done purely on merit and there is no influence being exerted by the Pakistan Peoples Party government to appoint police officers of its choice." However, he added that interference in governance by influential people was a problem in the entire country, not just Sindh. He further said that a DNA testing laboratory will start working in Sindh in a week.

Afghan refugees

"We have decided to keep Afghan refugees in segregated camps that will be established outside the city," said Kabeer, adding that there were around 2.7 million unregistered Afghanis in Sindh, while the number of registered Afghan refugees stood at 68,000.

"We have received reports that Afghanis are involved in terrorism and criminal activities in the city," he claimed. "We, therefore, want to house them in one specific place and monitor their movements."

According to him, the government will provide Rs0.7 million to Afghanis who wanted to return to their home country. "We have arrested around 1,200 Afghanis who are living illegally and will repatriate the 2.7 million unregistered Afghanis to their country by December 31 this year."

Counter-terrorism forces

Sindh IG Ghulam Hyder Jamali also told the media that a female counter-terrorism force will also be launched in Sindh. "We discussed the mechanisms of the new counter-terrorism forces in the province during the meeting," he revealed. "Initially, 1,000 cops will be inducted. Personnel from the Special Security Unit will be nominated to deal with terrorism until we complete the process for the appointments in these forces."

Jamali further said that the police had inked an agreement with the National Database and Registration Authority for a 'crime tracking system'. "After the arrest of any criminal, we will be in the position to track their entire family," he explained.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22^nd, 2015.