‘180 private schools in city face terror threat’

Provincial cabinet told 300 SSU personnel will be deployed for these schools’ security; Rs7.6 billion will be spent to build boundary walls of 8,417 schools in the province

Karachi 

The Sindh cabinet was informed on Monday that around 180 private schools in Karachi had been declared sensitive from a security point of view and the police were finalising a security plan for them.

Schools’ security and the overall law and order situation, the cases being tried in military and anti-terrorism courts, and the ongoing development projects in the province were discussed at the cabinet meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah at new the Sindh Secretariat Building, 

The cabinet was informed that 300 personnel of the police’s Special Security Unit would be deployed for the security of th vulnerable schools in the city.

The chief minister directed police authorities to set up check-posts in the premises of private schools for their security.

The cabinet was informed that there were 46,056 government-run schools in the province and security measures were being taken for them.   

Boundary walls

The participants of the meeting were informed that Rs7.6 billion would be spent to build boundary walls for 8,417 schools.

The assistance of the World Bank might be sought for this project.

The education additional chief secretary said there were 7,795 schools in Karachi alone.

A 16-point performa had been prepared by the education department to conduct a survey for checking security arrangements for schools. 

The chief minister directed that a committee comprising the home and education secretaries and the IGP should finalise security arrangements for schools under threat.

The chief minister also ordered that a “Safe School Project” be launched for which the home and education departments, and the police’s special branch should work. He sought a feasibility report of the project for approval.

The chief minister said the assistance of the civil defence department and could also be sought for securing schools.

He added that schools without boundary walls should be protected using barbed wire until they were built for them.

Terrorism cases

The participants of the meeting were informed that the provincial authorities had referred some 103 high-profile terrorism cases for their adjudication by military courts.

The federal authorities, of the 103 cases referred to it, had approved 25 cases for their trial by military courts and at present, three of them cases pertaining to Sindh were being heard.

The chief minister directed the home department to approach the interior ministry to discuss whether or not it required the provincial authorities’ assistance in ensuring speedy trials and conclusion of these 25 cases.

The cabinet was informed that 3,702 cases were under trial in anti-terrorism courts, 1,377 had been decided, the prosecution could secure conviction in 463 while the accused in 463 cases were acquitted during the past year.

The acquittal rate in cases heard by anti-terrorism courts in 2015 was 68 percent.

The chief minister directed the authorities concerned to make 10 more anti-terrorism courts functional.

He added that incentives in the form of special prizes should be offered to investigation officers and prosecutors for securing conviction by courts.

The chief minister directed the chief secretary to set up a forensic investigation laboratory for investigating terrorism cases. 

The IGP told the cabinet that since the start of year 2015, the law-enforcement authorities had killed 782 terrorists and other criminals.

Some 1,608 cases were lodged for the violation of the Loudspeaker Act, 987 people were arrested, and 2,353 Afghan nationals held for their illegal entry and residence in the province.

Three people associated with al-Qaeda, 114 operatives of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, and 201 criminals associated with Lyari-based gangs were killed by police in encounters.

Development projects

The chief minister directed the authorities concerned to complete 598 ongoing development projects till June this year.

The finance minister informed the participants of the meeting that 100 percent funds required for these projects had been released, which amounted to Rs31.45 billion.

The chief minister said after 31 March, no more funds should be released for the ongoing development projects.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, provincial adviser Maula Bakhsh Chandio said that there was no controversy surrounding the issue of the special policing powers of Rangers in Karachi as both police and the paramilitary force would continue their crackdown against criminals in the city.