Sindh govt. decides to impound unregistered vehicles or operating on open letter and fake number plates
Sindh Courier
Karachi
Issuing the policy statement in Sindh assembly on Monday about last week’s terrorist attack on Karachi Police Office (KPO), Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah admitted the failure of government’s intelligence network.
“There was a threat, then how the terrorists reached the Khyber Pakhtunkhaw?” He questioned, and answered ‘It was security laxity. It was also the weakness of our intelligence network that could not collect information’.
“How the terrorists from North Waziristan and Laki Marwat carrying suicide jackets and weapons traveled all along and reached Karachi and attacked KPO? It requires to assess our intelligence work, security lapses, and weaknesses.”
“On February 17, when the terrorist cut the barbed wire Constable Abbas Leghari confronted them in which he was killed. The question is where the other policemen were when the terrorists were cutting the [barbed] wires – they should have been killed there,” he also raised question about police personnel on duty at KPO.
The chief minister said that three terrorists wearing suicide jackets, drove through Police quarters in a 95-Model car and scaled the compound wall, and entered the KPO at around 7.10 pm on February 17, 2023.
The terrorists with their infiltration into the four-story KPO building opened indiscriminate fire to make hostage as many police staff as possible, Shah said, and appreciated a Rangers Brigadier who along with a squad of six to seven Rangers was returning from somewhere rushed to the KPO and participated in the operation. Meanwhile, DIG South and other police officers of CTD and Special Branch even though they were not posted in the area reached the spot and properly led the operation against the terrorists.
The CM disclosed that the Pak Army snipers were deployed on the rooftop of the nearby buildings and a plan was discussed to use Pak navy night-sighting helicopters in the operation but thanks to God that the police and Rangers killed two terrorists while the third one blasted himself at the third floor.
Shah disclosed that the 95-Model Car used by the terrorist was plying on a Transfer letter though it has been sold to the fourth owner no one bothered to transfer it in his name. The TTP has claimed responsibility for the attack, he said and added an FIR No. 20/2023 has been registered and an investigation was in progress.
The chief minister said his government has decided impounding of the vehicles plying on the open letter. “Our Excise department with the support of law enforcement agencies would start road checking.”
Murad Shah said that an SOP would be issued under which motorists would be guided to be standstill when an untoward incident was taking place on or close to the road they were using. He disclosed that when the KPO was under attack the Shahrah-e-Faisal was closed to traffic but even then, motorists were trying to use it.
Shah said that when the terrorists attacked the KPO our welfare organizations, particularly the ambulance services rushed there and without considering the level of the attack reached the spot, as a result, the first injured turned out to be the ambulance crew.
A similar attitude was also demonstrated by the media who started reporting from the spot where all the lights, including the streetlights, were switched off and firing between the police and the terrorists were in progress and started making speculations, the CM complained.
Shah categorically said that no security guard in plain clothes would be allowed to carry weapons in vehicles. He added that in such cases not only vehicles would be impounded but guards would be arrested.
Following the policy statement of Chief Minister, provincial Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon in his press conference announcing the decisions, said that massive action will be launched against the unregistered, applied for registration, vehicle without number plates, fake number plates, tinted glass vehicles and vehicles running on open letters. “The owners of such vehicles have been given a week’s time, otherwise from February 28, all such vehicles will be confiscated.”
“No showroom owner have authority to sell any unregistered vehicle. Whoever sells an unregistered vehicle and if such vehicle is used in any crime, the showroom owner will also be held for the crime,” Sharjeel warned.
Sharjeel Inam Memon said that after one week no one will be allowed to display weapons; those displaying weapons will be arrested and FIR will be registered against them. “No one will be spared in the campaign no matter how influential he is.”
Sharjeel said that no concession will be given to government ministers, advisors, members of assemblies and opposition party members. He clarified that only police, rangers and other law enforcement personnel will be allowed to carry weapons in uniform; no official without uniform will be allowed to carry weapons.
He said that even guards of private security agencies will not have the authority to display weapons in uniform. “If a person is found to be involved in the display of weapons, he will face the law.”
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