Lanjar not sure how bandits in riverine area got military grade weapons

SUKKUR: Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar on Monday acknowledged that bandits in the Katcha area of Sindh had military grade weapons and expressed his wonder how they had got such weapons.

He said this while speaking to the media during his visit to Shikarpur and Kandhkot districts. Sindh Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon accompanied him. He asserted that those involved in providing military grade weapons to the bandits would not be spared.

Earlier, the minister was briefed by the Larkana DIG on the police action against robbers and law and order situation in Katcha areas. Lanjar told the media that no matter how powerful and influential the bandits were, they would be brought to justice.

He asked the residents of the riverine area to cooperate with the police in the operation against bandits. Defending the Sindh police chief, the home minister said the IGP was utilising all resources to maintain law and order in Shikarpur, Kashmore-Kandhkot and Ghotki.

He expressed the hope that a positive change would be seen regarding the law and order situation soon. He asked the bandits to surrender themselves before the law or else they would have to face a crackdown.

Lanjar was of the view that the law and order situation in Sindh deteriorated in the tenure of the caretaker government. He said a comprehensive strategy had been devised to uproot the street crime as well as the kidnappings for ransom in Kashmore, Kandhkot, Ghotki and Shikarpur.

He said he had spoken to the chieftains of tribes to end their tribal conflicts. He added that he had talked to elected MNAs and MPAs from Kashmore-Kandhkot, Ghotki, Jacobabad and Shikarpur to take measures to resolve the ongoing tribal feuds.

IGP Memon said that with the support and cooperation of the government, the police would continue to take measures to eliminate bandits.

The police were also making people aware about honey traps being employed by the bandits through publicity campaigns and announcements, the police chief said, adding that the federal government had given a no-objection certificate to procure weapons to fight the bandits.

A monthly allowance of Rs10,000 was also being given to the officials who were on duty in the riverine area, he explained and said that the purpose of his visit to the riverine area was to raise the morale of the force.

During his visit, the home minister also held a meeting with members of the business community and civil society in Kandhkot. The business community expressed its full support for the Kashmore SSP for initiatives taken to restore peace.

However, the traders said that business and trade activities in their cities had been badly affected due to constant state of fear owing to bandits. They said some businesses had even been shifted to Karachi because of insecurity and extortion. Eradication of crime was a top priority of the Sindh government, Lanjar told the business community.

The IGP told the traders that he had directed the Counter-Terrorism Department to prevent the transportation of illicit weapons to the riverine area. He added that the courts had banned the Jirga system and police would not spare any person involved in heinous crimes.

The police chief said tribal feuds were the main cause of the crime in the region, due to which police were concentrating on putting an end to the ongoing tribal feuds. He said there were about 618 police stations in Sindh, but he had constituted a committee to reduce the number of police stations in order to re-strengthen the police stations by increasing their manpower and budget. He said Karachi was the first region of the country where policing funds had been devolved to each police station.