Sindh reconstitutes Apex Committee to deal with security, terrorism

The provincial government has reconstituted the Sindh Apex Committee as the province’s supreme body to deal with security and terrorism matters, including the implementation of the National Action Plan.

The notification to this effect has been issued by the chief secretary, making it a 17-member body with the chief minister in chair. There is no official word yet from the Sindh government to explain the exact reason for reconstituting the committee. However, a few sources privy to the development say that it has been done in view of the formation of the new Sindh government after July’s general elections.

A brief text message sent by Information Adviser Murtaza Wahab in response to a query of this scribe on this issue said that there was no change in the reconstituted apex committee other than the change of a few provincial ministers. No meetings of the apex committee have been held since the new Sindh government has taken charge.

A few weeks back, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah met a group of reporters at the CM House and told them that the committee’s setup still existed and its meeting would soon be called as the new provincial government had been formed.

One of the items the forthcoming meeting of the apex committee would likely take up is the progress made so far by the relevant provincial government’s departments, civic agencies and local government institutions to rename the public places/structures/establishments in Karachi named after MQM founder Altaf Hussain or after his immediate family members.

The decision to remove Hussain and his family members’ names from public spaces and buildings was first taken by the Sindh cabinet on December 30, 2017, and later by the provincial apex committee on March 8, this year. The concerned authorities later identified 51 such places named after MQM’s founder or after his immediate family members.

According to the notification issued by the chief secretary, the reconstituted committee comprises the minister for Works, Services, Prisons, Forest & Wildlife Departments, the minister for parliamentary affairs, adviser to the CM on law & information, the chief secretary, home secretary, Commander 5 Corps, DG of Sindh Rangers, IGP, Karachi commissioner, CTD additional inspector general of police, Chief of Staff 5 Corps as well as the Sector Commander (Inter-Services Intelligence), Sector Commander (202 Survey) and Joint Director General, Intelligence Bureau, Sindh.

The committee’s terms of reference are: to define and execute the Provincial Action Plan in the light of the National Action Plan; to act as a supreme decision-making executive body to deal with the security issues, including terrorism in the province; to periodically review the security environment and issue directions accordingly; to formulate sub-committees with specific tasks to ensure the implementation of the Provincial Action Plan. In the past, the Sindh governor was also invited to attend the meetings of the provincial apex committee as a special invitee.