KARACHI: Sindh government will be provided all needed assistance to ensure that people using stolen or snatched cell phones are duly penalized, including provision for imprisonment, said federal interior minister, Rehman Malik on Monday.
"This is part of our pragmatic approach to curtail the crime and discourage re-sale of mobile phones that otherwise was the root cause of the crime," he told media on his arrival to the city this afternoon at Quaid-e-Azam International Airport.
Replying to a question about unabated wave of street crime in Karachi, the minister said government was fully conscious of its responsibilities.
He, however, said that situation in general had markedly improved in the cosmopolitan and there was decline in other criminal incidents.
About the issue of target killing, he said very often these were found to be outcome of rivalry, engendered between victims and perpetrators on varied grounds.
"It was just to hoodwink police and law enforcers that many of the murders were given tinge of target killing," said the federal interior minister.
In reply to question raised about agreement reached between Pakistan and UAE, during recent visit of President Asif Ali Zardari, Malik said a mechanism is being developed under which prisoners of Pakistani origin languishing in UAE jails, for minor crimes as over staying, could be transferred to Pakistani prisons.
"Prisoners sentenced five to six years imprisonment in UAE can request the relevant superintendents of the jails for transfer and would be required to fill a performa that would be confirmed by Pakistani authorities about their legal status," he elaborated in reply to another question. Rehman Malik said once it would be confirmed that they are citizens of Pakistan and not involved in any heinous crime they could be transferred to jails located in or close to their areas of residence and would complete the term of sentence there.
"Our government is committed to the well being of people and particularly the resource-less sections is well evident through the personal effort made by President Zardari," said the minister for interior affairs.
About situation in Balochistan, he said the government in past four years had taken all relevant steps for restoration of confidence among the people of the province.
He enumerated infrastructure development, construction of road network, NFC award etc as some of the measures aimed at mitigation of the grievances.
"It would be unfair to say that nothing was done and that attention was paid to address their complaints only recently," he said.
The interior minister answering to queries raised about withdrawal of cases against political activists from Balochistan said all of these are being withdrawn with the exception of those where third party may be involved.
"This refers to cases of criminal nature where one may have registered complain of killing his or her brother or sister or any other family member against those apprehended by the police," he said
Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2012
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