Upon directives of the Sindh inspector general of police (IGP), Ghulam Nabi Memon, joint check posts (JCPs) are to be established at border points of Sindh and Punjab to curb the menace of cross-border smuggling and other criminal activities.
Officials said the move was taken after a meeting was held recently with IGP Memon in chair, during which the overall law and order situation of Sindh was discussed. During the meeting, he stressed the need for forming JCPs between Punjab and Sindh as many of the investigation reports and disclosures had revealed that criminals frequently travelled between the two provinces.
It was also decided to include the excise and taxation department’s officials at the JCP locations and coordination shall also be ensured between the law enforcers from both the provinces in order to curb the crime.
Since many issues emerged in the meeting belonged to the Ghotki district, the Ghotki SP was ordered to devise a comprehensive strategy for coordination between the Sindh and Punjab police and deploy officials at the established check posts.
Officials said that after the directions of the Sindh IGP, the police had initiated setting up JCPs on Friday. The officials deployed at the posts were directed to follow the directions of IGP Memon regarding campaign against illegal use of fancy, AFR, blue and green number plates, and vehicles with unauthorised police light plying on roads.
In this regard, the first JCP on the Sindh-Punjab order was established at Kamu Shaheed with the excise and taxation department under the supervision of Abdul Maalik Bhutto and 14 other police officials including sub-inspectors, assistant sub-inspectors, head constables and constables.
The officials deployed at the JCP have been instructed that the vehicles with AFR number plates should be impounded along with the registration of an FIR and enforcement of heavy fine by the excise department. Unauthorised blue or green number plates and police light on private vehicle should also be dealt with through the registration of FIRs and confiscation of the vehicles.
If police officials were found involved in display of unauthorised police blue lights or green and blue numbers on private vehicles, departmental action would be initiated against them in addition to the registration of FIRs and seizure of the vehicles.
Earlier in July, the Sindh police chief had after taking notice of violations of various rules by motorists ordered the launch of a campaign across the province against illegal use of blue and green number plates and police lights.
The directives in this regard were issued to the Karachi additional IG, the DIGs of traffic in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and Larkana ranges and all district SSPs in Sindh.
IGP Memon said it had been observed that despite being privately owned, many vehicles plying on highways in Sindh had installed blue and green number plates and police lights claiming to be government vehicles or showing government ownership.
Such action fell under the category of transgressing the law, he stressed and said that in some cases it had also been seen that blue and green number plates were being used on private vehicles, which was completely illegal; hence all legal actions, including the registration of FIRs were very necessary to discourage such acts.
The provincial police chief ordered that data containing details of such vehicles should be submitted to this office on a daily basis. He added that disciplinary action should also be taken against police officers involved in or found guilty of this illegal act. The campaign was to continue for the following three months.
A letter issued from the IGP office read: “It has been observed that a number of private vehicles plying on roads in Sindh have installed blue and green number plates and police lights (purporting to be govt vehicles) despite being privately owned. Such vehicles often indulge in illegal and rash behaviour and crime on the roads.
“In some cases, it has been observed that government officers, including police officers, are using green and blue number plates on their private vehicles. This is illegal and needs to be discouraged through necessary legal action including registration of FIRs.”