Expressing annoyance at the incident of police firing in the Korangi area on Sunday which left a pregnant woman and her husband injured, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the police to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.
The CM gave the direction to the police while chairing a law and order meeting at the CM House on Wednesday. Shah told Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Kaleem Imam to train the patrolling and operational police force so that they appropriately behave with the citizens and exercise prudence during snap-checking and chasing suspects in the commercial and residential areas.
“How could police personnel open fire in a commercial or residential area that resulted in injuries to innocent citizens? Such incidents should not be happening again,” the CM asserted.
The IGP informed the meeting that he was personally monitoring the investigations into the firing incident. The participants agreed that in-service training should be conducted pertaining to police operations in the city areas, snap-checking methods and chasing of suspects. It was also decided in the meeting to issue behavioural guidelines for the police force.
While reviewing the law and order situation in the province, the CM asked the Sindh IGP to further intensify checking on the Sindh-Balochistan border and hold a tripartite meeting of the three IGPs of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab so that close coordination could be developed to maintain law and order in Sindh and the entire country.
Home Secretary Kazi Kabir pointed out that some police stations were established at unauthorised buildings, to which the CM directed Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah and the IGP to sit together and identify some proper places to shift the police stations there.
“Similar complaints have also been received from Shaheed Benazirabad where a women hostel has been taken over by the police. This should be stopped and the police installations should be set up at appropriate and authorised places,” the CM observed.
The IGP also briefed the meeting on the action against illegal vehicles in Karachi during the last week. More than 3,000 vehicles were impounded in the city, including 2,200 with fake number plates, 1,500 without number plates and 1,700 plying on transfer letters, the meeting was informed.
The CM said according to the Sindh excise minister, most of the registration number plates were ready but the owners themselves were not collecting them. Shah directed the Sindh police chief to start a province-wise crackdown against the vehicles using fancy number plates and fake government plates, and those being driven on the basis of open letters.
The CM pointed out that the police were often checking vehicles in the middle of the main roads which caused traffic congestion and also gave a bad impression. He allowed the police to continue the checking but directed the force to avoid doing so during the morning office timings and school timings.
South DIG Sharjeel Kharal and DIG West Ameen Yousif Zai informed the meeting about the police action against smuggling of Iranian diesel and other crimes in their respective districts.
The DIGs of Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas participated in the meeting through a video link. They briefed the CM on various law and order issues such as tribal feuds, suicide incidents and the situation on the Sindh-Balochistan border.