Cabinet meeting discusses counter-terrorism strategy, development plans. PHOTO: EXPRESS
KARACHI: Sindh chief minister Qaim Ali Shah has stressed the importance of implementing the National Action Plan (NAP). “Whatever assignment the government of Sindh has been entrusted under the National Action Plan must be given top priority. It is our commitment and we have to fulfil it.”
The chief minister was presiding over a cabinet meeting at the CM House on Tuesday. Briefing the meeting regarding the implementation of the NAP, home secretary Mukhtiar Soomro said that in order to send cases for speedy trials in military courts, the legal committee had held three meetings to scrutinise 85 cases. The committee, after thorough scrutiny, had recommended 64 cases for military courts but the interior ministry had cleared only three cases that had subsequently been transferred to the military courts along with the under-trial prisoners.
“Since January 2015, 447 suspected terrorists have been killed and 41,077 arrested by the Sindh police,” he said. Speaking about hate speech, he said the government had adopted zero tolerance in this case. “Since 2015, around 753 cases under the Loudspeaker Act have been registered and 417 violators arrested. Overall, 24 cases of producing and distributing hate material have been registered and 28 people arrested,” said Soomro.
On the attempts to choke the finances of terrorist organisations, the home secretary said that information was being shared regarding the terrorists’ networks with relevant authorities such as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the State Bank.
The secretary said that the government has set up the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and has posted 100 personnel in the force. Sindh IG Ghulam Hyder Jamali said that 2,000 retired army, Rangers and police personnel were also inducted in the police force. “They have started their work and have killed 199 terrorists and arrested 62 others,” he said, adding that the department has been housed in the Training College, Saeedabad.
Giving details of the madrassa registration process, the home secretary said that out of 9,590 seminaries operating in the province, 6,503 had been registered. “In the unregistered seminaries, 517,696 students, including foreigners, are receiving education,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 1st, 2015.
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