KARACHI: The Sindh cabinet fully endorsed on Saturday the decisions of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to expedite the ongoing targeted operation of the law enforcement agencies against criminals and terrorists in Karachi.
The decision was taken at the cabinet’s meeting held here under the chair of Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah at the CM House.
The prime minister had declared last week that the targeted operation in the city would continue and the administration would have full powers to bring terrorists to book.
“We started the operation after taking all political parties on board since,” the premier had said while presiding over an all important meeting on the law and order situation at the Governor House which was attended among others by Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif, former president Asif Ali Zardari, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan, Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and DG ISI Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam.
In today’s meeting, the cabinet recommended that the federal government should provide the province a financial package of Rs27 billion for up gradation of police stations, strengthening and equipping the Sindh police, enabling them to make the targeted operation a success.
The cabinet also decided to set up a separate counter-terrorism department, providing latest training to Rapid Response Force (RRF) and legislating “to purge the Sindh Police from black sheep.”
The meeting discussed the matters relating to law and order, illegal immigrants, draft of 1st power policy and eradication of polio, measles and rubella virus from Sindh.
It expressed satisfaction over the performance of the LEAs in implementing the targeted operation in the port city.
Declaring 26 police stations of the city and three prisons including Karachi, Hyderabad and Larkana Central prisons as sensitive, it approved the decision of the Sindh government for increasing salaries of police personnel at these sensitive police stations and strengthening security with structures and more force at these sensitive jails.
The cabinet directed the IGP Sindh for providing foolproof security to all mosques, imambargahs and worship places of minorities.
The chief secretary informed the meeting that shifting of the ATC courts to Malir Cantt was under way. He informed that proposals for red-warrants of the criminals who have escaped from the country were sent to the federal government for the onward forwarding to the Interpol.
He informed the meeting that process of recruiting 10,000 police personnel including 2,000 retired army men and 400 investigation officers was in progress also.