close
Friday March 29, 2024

CM orders security audit of shrines, worship places

By Web Desk
February 18, 2017

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has decided to conduct security audit of all the shrines, mosques, temples, churches and such other holy places of worship; public and important places.

“We all have to place efficient system to fight against terrorists.”

This he said while presiding over a meeting to review over security of shrines, holy places and other public places here at the CM House Saturday.

The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, IG Sindh AD Khowaja, Additional IG Karachi Mushtaq Maher, Additional IG CTD Sanaullah Abbasi. Later the meeting was joined by Special Assistant to CM on Auqaf Ghulam Shah, Secretary Auqaf Riaz Soomro and other concerned officers.

Briefing the Chief Minister, IG Police AD Khowaja said that some arrests have been made to trace the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar incident but it has quite clear similarities with the incident of Shikarpur blast. The chief minister said that he wants the case must be worked out at the earliest.

The IG said that some evidences have been collected from the shrine and they were being sent to Lahore for lab test. The chief minister constituted a committee under Additional IG CTD Sanaullah Abbasi to investigate the case from different angles and work it out at the earliest.

The divisional commissioners briefed the chief minister about the number of shrines, holy places of worships of different religions and sects and told him that they have beefed up their security.

Secretary Auqaf told the chief minister that there were 80 shrines under Auqaf department. On this the chief minister said that each and every shrine and places of worship of others religious have to be provided necessary security.

He directed IG to conduct audit of every important place, including shrine, temples, churches, mosques, Imambargah, hospitals and such other places. He directed IG Police to constitute a special team comprising experts of security audit and take someone from Auqaf department and suggest necessary measures.

The chief minister was informed by the divisional commissioners who attended the meeting through video link that there were 150 shrines, seven churches, 44 temples in Larkana division. There were 17 shrines, six most sensitive Imambargahs, 50 temples in Shaheed Benazirabad Division. In Sukkur division, there are 29 shrines and a number of temples and Imambargahs.

On this the chief minister directed divisional commissioners and DIGs to direct their DCs and SSPs to keep reviewing security on taluka level regularly. “This is most important war against the terrorists and we have to win it with the support of our people,” he said.

Additional IG Karachi Mushtaq Maher said that in Karachi there are 6,560 mosques, 350 shrines, 100 churches and of them 40 are active, over 100 temples, three Gurdwaras. Normally over 500 policemen are deployed there for security but on Friday night and their security is enhanced and over 1500 to 2000 police men are deployed there.

The chief minister on the advice of chief secretary Rizwan Memon approved recruitment of local `Searchers- male and female, purely on merit by Auqaf department who would be given special training by the police. These searchers would searcher each and every visitor for security.

He also directed the Auqaf department to install CCTV cameras at all the important shrines and establish a control room to keep an eye on the movement of each and every visitor. 

Earlier, the chief minister was give closed-door briefing on the progress of investigation into the case, links, and arrests of suspects made so far by IG police AD Khowaja, Additional IG Police Sanaullah Abbasi.