Sindh CM approves summary to grant special powers to Rangers

KARACHI: Sindh ChiefMinister  Syed Murad Ali Shah on  Wednesday approved the summary  to grant special powers to  the Pakistan Rangers that had  expired on January 10. After the  approval of the chief minister,  the home department has  moved a summary to the Ministry  of Interior for necessary  action.  Presiding over the Sindh  cabinet meeting at the Sindh  Secretariat, the Sindh CM said  that his government would  never allow terrorists and religious  fanatics to keep playing  with the lives of innocent people  even if the federal government  refuses to cooperate,  which is evident from the response  of the Ministry of Interior  over the 94 Madaris involved  in supporting terrorism.  The meeting was attended  by all the provincial ministers,  including Nisar Khuhro, Manzoor  Wassan, Mir Hazar Khan  Bijarani and others. The advisers  and special assistants were  specially invited.  Briefing the cabinet on the  response of theMinistry of Interior  to ban 94 Madaris allegedly  involved in promoting terrorism,  the chief minister said that  in the Apex Committee, the list  of the Madaris was presented.  The committee was told that 94  Madariswere involved in terrorist  activities. They had presented  solid evidences gathered  from terrorists arrested by Law  Enforcement Agencies and they  had revealed startling disclosures  against the said Madaris.  After interrogation, the concerned  agenciesworked hard to  collect solid evidences and on  the basis of that information, evidence  and recommendation, a  list of 94Madaris spreading over  46 pages was sent to the Ministry  of Interior.  “I was quite surprised that  when an attempt was made to  politicise the issue instead of  taking action as recommended  by the government,” he said and  added, “Comewhatmaywewill  go ahead and keep crushing the  terrorists wherever they live or  nurture because we are the  worst affected people of terrorism.  At the hands of terrorists,  we have lost our leadership, we  have sacrificed the lives of our  law enforcement agencies personnel  and we have sacrificed  our innocent citizens, including  the children. Enough is  enough.” He added: “It shows  how much serious the federal  government is to take action  against terrorists.”  He told the cabinet that in  reply to the 46-page letter, the  Ministry of Interior has sent a  three-page reply and now “we  have sent themthe reply of their  letter and would see and definitely  see what action they are  going to take and this would ascertain  their seriousness to  eliminate terrorism from the  country.”  The cabinet meeting started  with a briefing by IG Police AD  Khowja on law and order. Giving  comparative performance of  2015/16, he said that all heinous  crimes have come down considerably.  He added that terrorism  has come down tominus 15 percent,  extortion minus 27 percent,  kidnappings for ransomby  minus 12 percent, target killings  by minus 27 percent, murder by  minus 29 percent, and dacoities  by minus 21 percent.  AD Khowja, quoting the  SRSS report, said that sectarian  violence has decreased in KPK  and Sindhwhile it has increased  in FATA, Punjab and Balochistan.  He added that 60 percent  decrease has been witnessed in  causalities of law enforcement  agencies personnel. The chief  minister said that itwas encouraging  but there was a huge hue  and cry against the street crime.  Why it has increased and why  the police have failed to control  it.  The IG said that that there  was minus 24 percent decrease  in mobile snatchings, minus 34  percent decrease in four wheelers  snatching, minus 14 percent  four wheeler theft, minus 13  percent decrease in two wheelers  snatching and only two  wheelers theft has increased by  14 percent.  He added that in 2015, some  21,028 mobile phones were  snatched while in 2016 the  snatching was recorded at  16,010. Similarly, therewere 336  incidents of four wheelers  snatching and in 2016 it was  recorded at 221. The fourwheelers  theft in 2015was 1,805while  in 2016 it was at 1,559. The  snatching of two wheelers was  2,843 in 2015 and it declined to  2,473 in 2016 but the theft of  two wheelers which was 18,087  in 2015 increased to 22,358 in  2016. On this, the chief minister  expressing his displeasure directed  the IG to take strict action  and instruct all his police  officers, including SHOs to control  the street crime. “We can’t  be happy merely on the declined  figures of criminal activities  but it is our responsibility to  bring it down to zero. The people  of this city have seen a lot of  blood and now I want to smiles  and confidences on their faces,”  he said and asked the IG police  tomake all his officers accountable.  Replying to a question of the  chief minister, the IG said that  there were 15 police stations  worst-affected by the street  crime. They include Gulshan-i-  Iqbal, Shahrae-i-Faisal, Ferozabad,  Aziz Bhatti, Preedy,  Zaman Town, Korangi, Mobina  Town, Taimuriya, Korangi Industrial  Area, Defence, New  Town , Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Clifton  and Azizabad. On this, the chief  minister said that the homework  done by the IG was commendable  but now “I want results  even if you have to start  removing non-performing SHOs  and other officers,” he said and  directed him to keep sending  him the performance of the  worst affected police stations  on regular basis.  The IGP told the cabinet that  Karachi Police had identified 53  hotspots with regard to street  crime. These spots were being  strengthened by deploying appropriate  manpower and resources.  He added that community  based policing had been  established at Bahadurabad,  Ferozeabad, North Nazimabad  and Korangi Insutrial Area.  Meanwhile, the Home department  had floated a proposal  to the cabinet for granting permission  to issue new arms licenses.  Briefing the cabinet,  Home Secretary Shakeel Mangnijo  said that 1,063,315 arms licenses  have been issued  throughout the province. The  home department has received  473,347 arms licenses for registration;  of them 198,426 have  revalidated/registered and still  over 500,000 licenses have not  been filed for registrationwhich  the department considered as  cancelled. The chief minister  said that permission forissuing  new licenses could not be  granted now. However, he  formed a committee comprising  Burhan Chandio, Qasim Shah  and Dr SikandarMendhro to reviewthe  policy of granting arms  licenses.