550,000 unverified arms licences cancelled in Sindh

CM to open first phase of K-IV project today, tells health dept to chalk out proposal for second shift in govt hospitals

Karachi 

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that his government has cancelled arms licences which have not yet been verified. 

“However,  the cancelled licences could be revalidated if the necessary documents are presented. Otherwise they stand cancelled,” he said while talking to media on Saturday after presiding over a rehabilitation response (RR) programme at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) organised by the chamber and the Sindh Medical College Doctors’ Association.

Shah said the government had been extending the deadline for the verification of arms licences from time to time, but “I have refused to extend it further and have cancelled over 550,000 licences which had not been verified so far”. 

 “Oh yes, my government has decided to give an opportunity to  the holders of cancelled licences to file an application with the home department to revalidate their licences, but all this depends upon the authentication of the required documents.”

There were over one million arms licences in the province, of them only 450,000 have been verified.

The chief minister directed the home department to launch a website page to post details of verified and cancelled licences from August 20. He also urged them to launch a similar mobile phone application where people could check the status of arms licences.

Replying to a question, he said that the special assistants and ministers had not been appointed on “a son quota basis”, but the majority of them were elected MPAs and a few had been picked to give representation to a particular community or on a technical basis (technocrats).

Shah directed Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mendhro and Health Secretary Ahmed Bux Narejo to work out a plan to start the second shift in the government hospitals. “ I am thankful to RR that they have proposed the second shift in the hospitals to make them functional round the clock,” he said and added that he had already declared emergency in health and education sectors. 

This move would help in achieving his agenda of providing health services in the government sector round the clock, he added.    

All the government hospitals function only during the office hours; however, emergency services are available there round the clock. 

The chief minister asked the health department to prepare a proposal to functionalise the government hospitals in two shifts. It means the OPD and specialists would be available there in both shifts.

Shah said that he had launched a Rs10 billion special package to repair, rehabilitate, recast and reconstruct important roads of the city. “I know Karachi contributes in the national exchequer more than any other city; therefore, it must be given due share for which I am striving hard and working to give a new beautiful shape to this city,” he said.

He further stated that another glaring issue of the city was water. “Tomorrow on August 14, I am going to launch the K-IV project to provide 260mgd of water to the residents of this city, and this would also help to provide more water to the industrialists,” he said, adding that it was the first phase of K-IV and then there would be another phase for another 260mgd.

 “People will witness visible changes within one and half years,” he added.

On this occasion, Dr Ajmjad Guzar handed over the keys of seven ambulances to the chief minister. These ambulances are almost a mobile health unit. The chief minister thanked Dr Gulzar for the donation.

The chief minister downplayed the remarks of Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan against the leadership of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party and said severing the people was his priority. “These remarks are petty issues for me.” 

He, however, said that a comprehensive response to the interior minister’s remarks would be given by the party leadership.

The chief minister, who arrived at the event directly from the airport after performing Umrah, said that when the interior minister was passing such remarks he was praying for the nation at Masjid-e-Nabvi.

At the event, the opposition leader in the National Assembly, Khursheed Ahmed Shah, and PPP parliamentary leader Naveed Qamar were also with the chief minister.

Responding to a question regarding his cabinet, the chief minister said 90 percent of the cabinet members were from the provincial assembly. He said the cabinet had been formed comprising senior and young members to serve the people.

Talking about recent raids by the anti-corruption department on the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi, he said some complaints were received on which he directed the anti-corruption body to take action. He, however, he said that students’ future would not be affected by that action.

Khursheed Ahmed Shah, talking to media, said the government had accepted deficiencies over 8-9 points of the National Action Plan (NAP). The government had set up the NAP taskforce and the opposition would cooperate in this matter considering security as the prime issue, he added.

Regarding Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Maulana Fazalur Rehman’s speeches on the Quetta blast, he said that those were their opinions. “Everyone has the right to speak,” he added.

Earlier, at the event, Senior Vice President Khalid Tawab praised the chief minister for his punctuality. He highlighted the issues that were faced by the business community.