KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that coordinated efforts of law enforcement agencies made Ashura peaceful.

He praised performance of police, Rangers and the intelligence agencies.

He said this while presiding over an informal law and order meeting at CPO on Friday. The meeting was attended by Adviser to CM on Law and Information Murtaza Wahab, Sindh Police Inspector General Kaleem Imam, Additional IGs Aftab Pathan and Dr Waliullah Dal and Karachi Commissioner Sualeh Farooqi.

The chief minister said that his efforts to make police more professional and public-friendly would continue in the form of training programmes. “Capacity-building of Karachi police is in progress and now time has come to change the police uniform,” he said. He added, “I am of the opinion that T-shirt may also be allowed to policemen so that they can perform their duty in sweltering weather comfortably,” he said. The IG said that he would provide different samples of proposed uniform to the chief minister for his guidance and approval.

Shah said that he had visited three divisions -- Karachi, Sukkur and Larkana -- to have an aerial view of the mourning processions and security arrangements. “There was a proper deployment of police and the Rangers at majalis and mourning processions,” he said. He said that district administrations also worked hard for provision of facilities on routes of the processions and at majalis. “I am also thankful to ulema and religious scholars for their support and cooperation to make Aushra peaceful,” he said.

On Ashura day, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah clad in a black shalwar kameez visited Sadar to witness security arrangements for mourning processions. He walked from Empress Market to MA Jinnah Road, received the mourning procession there and led it up to Empress Market. He met organizers of the processions. Latter, he flew to Sukkur to review security arrangements in sensitive districts.

The chief minister, accompanied by Provincial Minister Syed Nasir Shah and his Adviser Murtaza Wahab, had an aerial view of the mourning processions taken out in Shikarpur and its taluka headquarters. 

In the evening, Shah returned to Karachi and took aerial view of the mourning procession which was reaching its culmination point.

During his visit, the chief minister saw some parks in shambles such as Jheel Park, Hill Park, parks in Nazimabad and North Nazimabad. He vowed to rehabilitate these parks through local bodies and involve local communities to restore and then look after them. “Karachi needs more parks and massive tree plantation and we all, local bodies, civil societies and NGOs have to work collectively,” he said.

Shah noticed that various drains had yet to be cleaned and were filled with filth and garbage. He decided to talk to KMC and DMCs about cleaning of these drains from head to tail.

The chief minister also took an aerial view of BRT Green Line project infrastructure. It is at the completion stage except a portion from Numasih towards MA Jinnah Road.  On September 22, the chief minister will presides over a pre-CCI meeting at CM House to review the agenda and his government’s decisions for CCI meeting to be held under the prime minister on September 24 in Islamabad.

The meeting was attended by Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh, Adviser to Chief Minister Murtaza Wahab, Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, Law Secretary Raheem Soomro and other concerned officers.

The chief minister reiterated his stance that Karachi needs 1200 cusecs additional water for K-IV project and vowed to convince the CCI meeting to approve the provincial government’s request.