Sindh govt has failed to create competent police force in Karachi, says Fawad

(Karachi) Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has said that the Sindh government has failed to create a competent police force in Karachi despite receiving billions of rupees each year from the federal government.

Addressing a press conference at Governor House on Sunday, Fawad said that the law and order situation in the province is continuously deteriorating and the Sindh police seem helpless in controlling the crime.

He stated that the provincial government seeks help from the Rangers every time as it has deputed the police force on VIP duties and for providing protocols.

The minister expressed displeasure about the dismal security situation in Sindh, blaming CM Murad Ali Shah and the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government for incompetence.

Chaudhry accused the Sindh chief minister of resorting to "politics of nationalism", adding that he is distancing himself from the political principles adopted by PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

He said the Centre had increased the share for provinces in the federal budget, adding that Sindh would receive more than Rs750 billion according to the NFC award. "If so much money is coming in each year where is it going?" he asked.

Fawad also criticised the Sindh government over lackluster administration, saying people want imposition of Governor rule in the province. "However, there is no provision for it in the Constitution," he highlighted.

Regarding the water issue, Fawad maintained that Punjab is not stealing Sindh's water but the PPP and the provincial cabinet. "The water never runs short when it comes to Zardari and his sister's lands," alleged Chaudhry.

He pointed out that independent observers should find out how much water is provided to Sindh and the amount that is used up by the provincial government.

Fawad Chaudhry's allegations against the Sindh government comes in wake of a surge in the crime rate in the metropolis.

On June 11, a senior professor was shot dead during an armed robbery bid in the city. The victim, identified as Dr Zahir Ali Syed, who was serving as the director of the Usman Institute of Technology (UIT), was killed by unidentified assailants near Karachi Stadium Road.

Police said that the 70-year-old professor was travelling in a car when armed pillion riders tried to intercept him with an apparent motive to loot him. Sensing danger, Dr Syed accelerated his car to escape but the assailants opened fire at him and fled away.

Karachi has witnessed a sharp rise in street crimes during the current year as citizens lost millions of rupees in armed robberies and snatching at gunpoint. However, the police failed to arrest the criminals and maintain law and order in the city.