Last week Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah held a meeting with the editors of the Karachi-based newspapers and some TV channels at the CM Secretariat in Karachi. Mr Shah arranged this first-ever encounter with the senior journalists in Karachi to share with them the working of his government, to seek the opinion of the newsmen about the important issues in Karachi and the performance of Sindh govt. PPP Sindh Secretary Nafees Siddiqui, Media Adviser of the CM Waqar Mehdi also attended the meeting. During this meeting the journalists raised the issues of the piling up of illegal lethal weapons; rampant violations of traffic signals, cops hectic involvement in the extortion of money from the motorcyclists and freight-carrying vehicles; mobile phones snatching; placing/removal of barricades in some areas in Karachi, land grabbing and load-shedding. The newsmen commended the Sindh government's strategy to control the bloody violence in Karachi in the wake of Mumbai bloodshed. They also appreciated the Sindh government's policy to defuse tug-of-war with its coalition partners in Sindh. The most important issue that was repeatedly raised in the meeting was the stockpiling of fatal weapons and the lack of interest from the government side to control the penetration of unlawful weapons and their frequent smuggling into the financial hub of Pakistan. The newsmen pointed out that containers and trucks, fully loaded with illegal weapons were arriving in Karachi and this tendency could turn Karachi into a battlefield anytime. Responding to this issue Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said that his government has initiated a drive for the registration of licensed weapons. In the next phase Mr Shah said that his government could launch a crackdown for the recovery of the illegal weapons. Mr Shah, however, did not show urgency and seriousness to take action against the elements who have amassed lethal weapons perhaps it could open a Pandora's Box for his government and his party. The Chief Minister of Sindh was also urged to give special attention to the growing tendency of the traffic signals violation and cops priority to extract money from the pockets of motorcyclists and commercial vehicles, especially the freight-carrying vehicles. Chief Minister Sindh was also requested by the representatives of the print media and electronic media to look into the growing incidents of mobile phones snatching in this mega city of Pakistan. Because despite the issuance of shoot-to-kill orders for the cell-phone snatchers, no major improvement has been observed in this area and the ruffians were still at large to deprive the people of their mobile phones. Similarly, the provincial government's warning against the possibility of terror incidents in Sindh, especially in Naudero, on the occasion of the first death anniversary of PPP's late Chairperson Benazir Bhutto was also raised in the meeting. Chief Minister Sindh was of the opinion that the criminal elements could target the mass-scale gathering at Naudero, and it was the duty of the government to forewarn the people about the possibility of any mishap. Mr Shah lauded the efforts of Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza for improving the law and order situation in the province. He hoped that the police and the other law enforcement agencies would work dedicatedly to thwart any mishap on Dec 27. Responding to barricades issue, Sindh Chief Minister promised that his government would not make any hasty decision to remove the barriers. He said that his government would take into confidence the citizens who have erected barriers in certain areas for their security. He said that a committee has been formed to look into this matter and the committee would respect the security concerns of the citizens. Syed Qaim Ali Shah also said that his government would take strict action against the land-grabbers, including those who have built apartments on parks. Mr Shah was also advised to make surprise visits to the hospitals, police stations and provincial government's departments to improve the efficiency of the officials and to have first hand knowledge of the problems being faced by the citizens there. Regarding load-shedding Mr Shah said that the electricity would become surplus within a couple of years that would lead to an end to unscheduled and agonising hours-long load-shedding. He also maintained that bids are being invited soon for the establishment of a coal-based power plant. He said that a number of companies belonging to different countries were interested in establishing a coal-based power plant and bidding would be held to ensure a fair competition.