Rising crime in Sindh alarms Centre

By Mumtaz Alvi

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday directed Minister for Interior Shaikh Rashid Ahmed to head to Sindh and focus on the province’s law and order situation.

“PM has ordered me to go to Sindh and hold meeting with the Rangers,” said Shaikh Rashid, according to Geo News. He added that the prime minister issued the directives to him as lawlessness is on the rise in Sindh, and the police are unable to 'deliver'. The minister said that the premier directed him to compile a report and send it to him as soon as possible. In this regard, he warned that he might visit the province any time to review the law and order situation. He added that he will contact Major General Iftikhar Hassan Chaudhry of Sindh Rangers. The statement by the interior minister came a few minutes after Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had tweeted that Imran Khan held detailed discussions on Sindh with Governor Imran Ismail and Planning Minister Asad Umar.

Fawad said that Asad Umar and Imran Ismail had expressed their “grave concern” with the PM over Sindh’s administrative mismanagement, especially law and order situation, and rising level of crime in the province.

The information minister said that the prime minister, while taking note of Asad Umar and the governor’s report, had directed the interior minister to visit Sindh. He added that the security tsar of the country was asked by the PM to work with the law enforcement agencies to develop a viable plan of action in response to the situation.

Fawad had also said that the PM had directed the interior minister to submit a report on the matter.

Meanwhile, Fawad Chaudhry said the federal cabinet approved the constitution of a review committee in relation to the application filed by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), seeking review of the ban imposed on it in the recent past.

He told a media briefing after the cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan that the three-member committee, consisting of bureaucrats from the Ministry of Interior under the Anti-Terrorist Act would hold hearings and review the TLP application and submit its recommendations to the cabinet. The minister said that the cabinet meeting was the first paperless event in Pakistan’s history and the forum consumed most of its time on discussions on the national economy and the upcoming budget. He claimed the country was moving towards economic stability and that electronic voting machine was an important part of PTI's electoral reforms.

“Giving the right to vote is the agenda of the PTI, and the Election Commission should take steps to bring overseas Pakistanis into the national mainstream,” he said, adding that the federal cabinet has decided to send medical aid and medicine to Bosnia to cope with corona.

He said CPEC projects-related special visa procedure for Chinese aspirants and cantonment board elections were also approved during the cabinet meeting. The highest number of cabinet meetings in the history of Pakistan, he pointed out, were held under the present government. He reminded that during the three years of those who used the slogan of 'respect the vote', there were 23 meetings of the cabinet.

During the meeting, the prime minister paid tribute to his economic team, saying that under difficult circumstances we had taken over the economy and now it was moving towards stability. He said that Pakistan had played a leading role in the Palestinian issue and the cabinet appreciated the role of Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and the Foreign Office in this regard.

The cabinet welcomed the improvement in relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Adviser to the PM on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan gave a presentation to the cabinet on electoral reforms. “He described all these bills clause by clause and how we are going to move forward,” Fawad said.

The cabinet, he noted, has expressed concern over the report and statement on the Election Commission's social media page regarding electronic voting machines (EVMs) and demanded that the ECP take action against its media team and it should be brought to light. “We are waiting for the action of the ECP,” he said.

Fawad said the summary of appointment of Chief Executive Officer of Pakistan Housing Authority Foundation has been postponed, whereas Capt (R) Munir Azam, BS-20 officer, Pakistan Administrative Services, has been approved to be appointed as Chairman Pakistan Tobacco Company Board.

Fawad said the forum approved six-month extension of Pakistan-Afghanistan transit trade agreement and also discussed the important agenda regarding the provision of facilities in the affairs of CPEC.

Replying to questions, the minister said that Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) had no future, having diverse ideologies and line of actions and with the passage of time, it would become weaker. He added that one example of how PDM in disarray was that the PMLN’s Shahid Khqan Abbasi had declared to bow out if the PPP re-joined the alliance.