KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah on Saturday said for the first time, Sindh government has taken strict action against illegal seminaries in the province and many of them were shut down during action in different parts of the province.
Talking to media at the Chief Minister House during a press conference, he said certain political parties had staged protest over closure of illegal seminaries but the law would be implemented at all costs.
Opposition leader in National Assembly Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Minister for Local Bodies and Information Sharjeel Inam Memon, IGP Sindh Ghulam Hyder Jamali, DG Rangers Major General Bilal Akber and others,
“Police and Rangers will carry out raids and search operations at the seminaries. Like a law for seminaries in federal government, Sindh government is also preparing a law in this regard.” He said on January 30, a heinous crime was occurred in the province when more than 50 people, offering Friday prayers, in the imambargah were killed and several others injured. “The government took all efforts and shifted the injured to Karachi in C-130 plane and announced rupees two million for the slain people while rupees 0.2 million were given to the injured,” he said.
Qaim said security authorities had arrested the facilitators of the incidents including arrests of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi men from Shikarpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba men from Dera Murad Jamali area of Balochistan.
“The suicide bomber was trained for 15 days and he carried out the reconnaissance of the imambargah,” he said, adding he appreciates the efforts of intelligence authorities who helped in tracking the facilitators.  He announced sending Shikarpur blast case to the military courts. “Those police and Rangers men who arrested the facilitators in the blast would be awarded rupees five million while individual rewards would also be given to them.” He said the hub of terrorists lies outside Sindh and they carry out their activities in the province from outside the province.
Announcing ban on transfers and postings of senior police officials in the province, the chief minister said they would not be removed from their posts for at least one year.
The CM said reputed police officers were demoted on court orders and therefore they are facing shortage of such officers. “Vacant police posts will be filled in two days and the Sindh police salaries will be equal to the Punjab police. Although implementation on notification, in this regard, was delayed but the policemen will later get the accumulated amount. Currently, only transfers and postings in the police department are banned and decision on other departments would be taken later,” he added.
He said no decision was taken in the apex committee meeting - chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif - over dividing the province into three zones and forming zonal committees led by the army officials. “Only a presentation was given in this regard.” The chief minister said, “Formation of zonal committees will be decided by the provincial government. I do not want to go into any dispute over it as we have good relationship with the security authorities in the province,” he said.
Qaim said he staged protest with the Prime Minister over suspension of Sindh home secretary Abdul Kabir Qazi as he was removed from his post without any show-cause notice.
“I told the PM that the suspended official belongs from the province and was working on a high profile post,” he said. Probe be made in the case and the official should be made aware of the causes of his removal. He said the PM had assured him of fair probe into the issue.