115,500 cops to be on duty in Sindh for general elections: Baqar

Sindh caretaker chief minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar has said that a total of 115,500 policemen have been tasked with performing security duties in the province during next month’s general elections.

These police officers will be responsible for maintaining law and order in 191 constituencies: 61 National Assembly and 130 provincial assembly. The polls are scheduled to take place on February 8.

Baqar gave this information while responding to the questions of the participants of the Pakistan Navy War College’s PN Staff Course who called on him at the CM House on Wednesday.

Replying to another query, the interim CM said that wastewater treatment plants are being installed to release treated waste and industrial water into the sea that would help control marine pollution.

The provincial government has also planted a million mangrove trees along the coastline. Mangroves are a natural infrastructure that helps protect the nearby populated areas by reducing erosion and absorbing storm surge impacts during extreme weather events such as hurricanes.

They are also important to the ecosystem due to their dense roots that help bind and build soils. Responding to another question, Baqar said his government has initiated several schemes to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Law & order

During a presentation, Sindh police chief IGP Riffat Mukhtar highlighted the key challenges the law enforcement agencies face in Pakistan. He noted that street crime in urban areas, particularly in Karachi, and lawlessness in the Kutcha areas of Kashmore, Shikarpur, Ghotki and Sukkur are serious issues.

While terrorism is also a challenge, it has been controlled through Intelligence-based targeted operations. The IGP emphasised that the police are fully prepared to provide security for the upcoming general elections.

The police chief identified mobile phone and cash snatching, vehicle theft and snatching, house robberies, murders and extortion as major issues. Despite fluctuations in the rate of street crime, it remains a chronic urban issue. Police are patrolling and conducting targeted operations to control the situation.

Sindh Chief Secretary Dr Fakhre Alam suggested that the criminal justice system be reformed, specifically with regard to urban street crime. He said that the launching of the Karachi Safe City Project would help resolve the matter, along with increasing the technical capacity of the police.

Ransom kidnappings

The IGP said that there are four major types of crimes in the Kutcha areas: kidnappings for ransom, including through honey trapping; highway robberies; tribal feuds and smuggling of valuable goods.

Last year 261 people were kidnapped, while 245 of the victims were freed from the clutches of dacoits. Police are taking strict measures to control the crime of kidnapping for ransom.