Once peaceful, Sindh now riddled with security challenges: CM

Sindh was once known for its progressive politics, religious tolerance, pluralism and vibrant civil society, but like other parts of Pakistan, the province has undergone a change and is no more immune to security challenges.

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah made the remark while addressing a 23-member delegation of the Foreign Service Academy led by its director general, Iftikhar Aziz, at the CM House on Wednesday.

Shah clarified that the security challenges faced by the country included violent sectarianism, infiltration of terrorists, vulnerability of shrines, arms smuggling and enemy intelligence networks.

Lamenting over polarisation on ethnic and sectarian lines, he said militants had taken refuge in political and religious parties. He also bemoaned that no-go areas had emerged where organised crime was prevalent on a massive scale.

Hailing the Karachi operation against criminals and terrorists in the city, he said the government was also improving the criminal justice system, as well as engaging in political reconciliation and reconstructing the city.

Home Secretary Qazi Shahid Pervaiz informed the meeting that since September 2013, when the Karachi operation was launched, the police had arrested 1,557 and killed 424 terrorists, while they had apprehended 152 and shot dead 38 kidnappers. He said 725 others were arrested and 25 killed for their involvement in extortion, while 3,161 murderers were arrested and 1,258 killed.

Sindh police chief IGP AD Khowaja told the meeting that 128,218 other criminals were also arrested and 1,285 killed. “We have confiscated 592 kilograms of explosive materials, 28,249 weapons and 610,826 rounds of ammunition.”

CM Shah said his government had financially strengthened the police department. “We have provided equipment and vehicles to them, and ensured recruitments on merit. The new recruits were trained by the army and their morale was boosted through welfare and incentive programmes for them.”

He said he had made all-out efforts to make Sindh a peaceful, prosperous and developed province. “I have set some clear goals, and I am sure they would lead us to our target.”  

Development goals

The CM said energy, poverty, nutrition, sustainable development goals and climate change were some of the major challenges that the government was facing in the province.

He said 30 per cent of the population of the province was not connected to the national electricity grid, power shortage had reached 1,200MW and gas shortfall was up to 180mmcfd.

To redress the situation, he added, the government had taken some important policy initiatives: tapping into alternative energy sources, development of the Thar Coal Infrastructure and establishment of the Sindh Transmission & Dispatch Company.  

Poverty reduction

Shah said that in 2008-9, a union council-based poverty reduction programme was launched in four districts at a cost of Rs5.37 billion, and it was expanded to six districts in 2016-17 with additional funds of Rs4.19 billion. He said the European Union had also launched a five-year programme in eight districts at a cost of Rs70 million. In short, the poverty reduction programme has benefited over 750,000 households across the province, he said.

Nutrition support

The chief minister said his government had started a nutrition support programme with the assistance of the World Bank at a cost of Rs4.12 billion in nine districts, including Tharparkar.

He said the United Nations’ maternal and child nutrition stunting reduction programme had also been started in Ghotki, Khairpur and Naushehro Feroze at a cost of Rs20 million. Another EU-funded improved nutrition programme in Sindh had been launched in eight districts at a cost of Rs60 million, he added.  

Uplift portfolio

CM Shah said the province boasted of a Rs344 billion development portfolio: Rs244 billion under the Annual Development Programme (ADP), Rs27.3 billion under the Public Sector Development Programme, Rs42.7 billion foreign funded projects and Rs30 billion under the District ADP.

He said 2,974 development schemes, including 2,158 ongoing and 816 new were under way at a cost of Rs244 billion, adding that irrigation, local government, road network, education, energy, health and food security had been given special focus in terms of financial allocations.