KARACHI: The Caretaker Chief Ministers of Sindh and Punjab along with their respective chief secretaries and inspector generals of police held a mammoth brainstorming session here at CM House to finalize the strategies for launching a joint operation against the bandits in the Riverine Areas of both provinces.
Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi along with his information minister Amir, Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman IG Police Usman Anwar and Minister Information called on Sindh Chief Minister Justice Maqbool Baqar who was accompanied by his Home Minister Brig Haris Nawaz (retd), Chief Secretary Dr Fakhre Alam and IG Police Riffat Mukhat and discussed the upcoming joint clean-up operation against the dacoits.
The two chief ministers discussed the gangs involved in the kidnapping for ransom, their overall strength, positions, and hideouts in the thick forests of the River Indus and exchanged notes on how to attack them from both sides of the aisle- Sindh and Punjab- and eliminate them once and for all by removing the stigma.
Sindh Chief Minister Justice Maqbool Baqar said that he visited Sukkur and Ghotki and stayed there for two days to finalise the operation against dacoits. “I have given blanket approval to the police to start necessary procurement and coordinate with the Punjab police to start the operation.
The Punjab CM Mohsin Naqvi said that the purpose of the meeting was to sit together to finalize the operation strategy, further, the police of both provinces would work together to eliminate the menace.
Punjab: Inspector General of Police, Punjab briefing the meeting that the main Kacha Area falls in the area of District Rajanpur, however, the Kacha areas of Ghotki & Kashmore also adjoin Rahim Yar Khan – the areas of Machka and Kot Sabzal police. It is 176 km in length and 25 km in width.
The lands are highly fertile along River Indus where sugarcane crop is planted. The Sindh Cm was told that there were seven Islands in Rajanpur which affect Rahimyar Khan as well. They include Kacha Karachi, Kacha Umrani, Kacha Hyderabad, Kachi Bannu, Kachi Morro Kacha Jamal, Kachi Kupra.
Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi said that the Kacha Ronti of Ghotki and Kacha Gehalpur of Kashmore affect Rahim Yar Khan. There is a symbiotic relationship between gangs, the Punjab IG said. He added that there were five gangs in Rajanpur and 11 gangs in Kashmore and Ghotki districts identified through the sharing of information system established between the two provinces.
The Punjab CM said that the 11 gangs of dacoits have hardly 600 gang members and they could not be allowed to challenge the writ of the government, therefore a joint operation was inevitable. He added that the Punjab police have set up nine police camps and 53 police pickets which would support the attack on the dacoits.
IG Sindh Police Riffat Mukhjar briefing the two chief ministers said that his police have started frequent raids against the criminals. “We have established 210 police posts along the protective Bund in the katcha area,” he said and shared a detailed equipment list with the Punjab chief minister for launching an operation.
The Chief Minister said that he has got a control room established at Kashmore and Shikarpur.
The two chief ministers in consultation with their respective teams prepared the checklist of the equipment, gadgets, mobile jammers, call interceptors, and deployment of police and Rangers plan so that operation could be started simultaneously from both the provinces and even decided to attack them through the latest technologies.
Sindh Chief Minister said that the facilitators, and informers of the dacoits have already been nabbed so that operation could be started without leaking anything.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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