General Raheel wants Sindh Police depoliticised

KARACHI: The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Raheel Sharif, on Monday said the Sindh Police must be depoliticised with the view to making it an effective apolitical force for the maintenance of law and order in Karachi.
Speaking during the Sindh Apex Committee meeting here, General Sharif said postings and transfers in the provincial police department should be made independent of political interference after the approval of the apex committee.
He said the ongoing targeted operation in Karachi against all criminals irrespective of their ethnic, political, religious and sectarian affinity should continue.The army chief said he would go to any extent in support of the Karachi operation to ensure peace. He said Karachi played a key role in the country’s economy adding that peace in the city guaranteed prosperity for the entire country.
“Gen. Raheel said meaningful efforts were needed to ensure peace in the city,” Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa tweeted on the social media.
Gen. Raheel said the Rangers operation in Karachi had created an environment for sustained peace and stability.He said political consensus and follow-up were a must to capitalise on the space created for enduring peace.
“Crime should be dealt as apolitical,” he said, adding, “Broad-based consensus and harmony are a must to capitalise on gains in the operation.”He said better coordination between the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and intelligence agencies was a must.
During his visit to the Rangers Headquarters, Gen Raheel appreciated the gains of the operation by the Rangers, police and intelligence agencies.Director General Rangers briefed him on the Karachi security situation and the ongoing across-the-board operations along with other law enforcement agencies (LEAs).

Sindh govt adding to problems: corps commander
KARACHI: Karachi Corps Commander Lieutenant General Naveed Mukhtar on Monday complained to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that poor administration by the Sindh government was adding to the problems, and it was getting difficult to run administrative matters.
Briefing Prime Minister Nawaz and Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on the ongoing targeted operation in Karachi and the activities being carried out in Sindh under the umbrella of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, Lt Gen Mukhtar said the Sindh government had changed the interior secretary three times in a month, which was causing problems. It is pertinent to mention here that Mumtaz Shah, Niaz Abbasi and Abdur Rahim Soomro have been removed from the office of the interior secretary in a month.