KARACHI: Brig Haris Nawaz (retd), caretaker provincial home minister for Sindh, has assured that his ministry will strive to improve the law & order situation in the province quickly,
He said the grabbed precious lands of the business community will be freed; safe city project for Karachi will be completed in under two years; street crime will be curtailed to the minimum possible level; menace of narcotics will be taken head on and an active liaison will be set up with trade & industry to make Karachi drive growth for the entire country.
He assured Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh that a number of steps would be taken with full resolve: (i) government is fully committed to make Karachi a business-friendly city; (ii) economic & commercial activities will be provided with the required security protection, which is missing, swiftly; (iii) Karachi will be once again enabled to drive growth in the entire country; (iv) raids will continue on drug peddlers, and our educational institutions will be secured; (v) crackdown on illegal dollar trading will continue; (vi) smuggling will be stopped at every level; (vii) elections will be held as and when announced by the election commission in a peaceful environment.
However, Muhammad Suleman Chawla, SVP FPCCI, proposed that the business community should be taken on board through formation of an effective committee between the representatives of the ministry and business community. It is imperative that the masses should be made aware of the progress the home department is making to get the support of the community for the police – making it effective & sustainable, he added.
Shaukat Omerson, VP FPCCI, demanded that CPLC should be fully reactivated to promote community policing, and, the general public should be assured of the safety of their vehicles as in these times of crisis, inflation and unemployment, vehicles are one of the most critical assets of the general public.
Engr M A Jabbar, VP FPCCI, maintained that people who do not need security or those who can afford their own security should immediately be made to surrender their police security with immediate effect.
He added that the traffic police personnel on the roads should be provided with basic human needs like umbrellas and water, so that, they can perform their duties with dignity.
Shabbir Mansha, VP FPCCI, proposed that on the lines of many civilized countries, there should be so much trust between police and other law enforcement agencies that most complaints and grievances should be addressed then & there – without wasting time, resources and efforts to go to various legal forums.
Abdul Wahab G M, Convener of FPCCI's Central Standing Committee on Law & Justice, maintained that prevalence of drugs and encroachment has become the biggest issues for the megacity and needs immediate attention of the caretaker home minister.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023