CM Sindh unhappy over province's law and order situation

KARACHI: Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar expressed displeasure on the deteriorating law and order situation across the province and directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Director General (DG) Rangers to take immediate steps to curb the same, ARY News reported.

The interim chief minister in a letter to the IGP and the DG Rangers regarding the deteriorating of law and order in major cities and rural areas of the province, directed that measures be taken to stem the rising tide of crime in the cities and rural areas to protect and safeguard the fundamental rights of the citizens as enshrined in the Constitution.

Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar said that he is distressed by the recent surge in crimes in the urban cities as well as rural areas which include robbery, murder, rape, kidnapping, drug trafficking, impersonation, mobile snatching, targeted killing, and extortion among other heinous crimes.

“The newspapers and electronic media abound with reports of incidents of the crimes,” he added.

Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar directed the IGP that in the wake of upcoming general elections, 2024 there have been multiple reports of attacks on the candidates who in a few cases have even been kidnapped in broad daylight.

“The most vulnerable segments of our society are women, children, and the elderly have borne a disproportionate brunt of these crimes. Journalists, lawyers, doctors, businessmen, and other professionals face a bigger threat to their lives and property,” the chief minister maintained in the letter.

Earlier on 10^th January, IGP Riffat Mukhtar termed street crimes in urban areas particularly Karachi and lawlessness in the Katcha areas of Kashmore, Shikarpur, Ghotki, and Sukkur as ‘chronic issues’ and said that the police is taking all-out measures to curb the crimes in both areas.

When discussing street crime, the IGP identified mobile phone and cash snatching, vehicle theft or snatching, house robberies, murders, and extortion as major issues.

The IGP said that that there are four major heads of crime in Katcha area including kidnapping for ransom through honey trapping and forced kidnapping; highway robberies, tribal feuds and smuggling.

He said that 261 persons were kidnapped in 2023 but all the abducted persons have been recovered.