HYDERABAD: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said the provincial police will lead an operation in katcha area against dacoits and if need be, assistance will be sought from Pak Army and Rangers who also assisted previously in such actions.

He was speaking to reporters and addressing a gathering in the office of senior superintendent of police (SSP) Shikarpur on Wednesday.

He said the police should take care of the fact if dacoits used people as shields during the operation against them.

The Sindh police were conducting anti-dacoits operations in Kandhkot, Shikarpur, Ghotki and Sukkur riverine areas currently, he said, adding that they had controlled the situation previously also, therefore, they would continue it.

He said the police would only seek assistance from Pakistan Army and Rangers if need be. All the outlaws would be brought to justice and no one would be spared, he said, adding that police had cordoned off four districts while launching the current operation.

He said the provincial police would also take action against the facilitators of dacoits. Those who had given a peace award to Tegho Khan Teghani would face action after an inquiry, he said.

He said Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid could visit any part of Shikarpur or the riverine area because he was a minister of the federal government, but he (CM) had not received any information in that regard. He had learned about it through television channels, Murad said.

He said governments were not run through Twitter or speaking to media alone.

He said dacoits had ruled Sindh in the 90s as conditions were the worst at that time, but the situation drastically changed after the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) formed the recent government.

He said he had discussed affairs of police stations of the katcha area and they would be accordingly strengthened.

He said the Sindh government had restored peace previously and would punish dacoits once again. He said the Sindh government was with the heirs of the martyrs and their sacrifices would not go waste.

The CM said he had met the family members of deceased policemen Munawwar Jatoi and Abdul Khaliq Solangi and found them in high spirits. He said the Sindh government would fully support the children of the deceased policemen as far as their education was concerned.

Earlier, the chief minister went to Shikarpur on a brief visit accompanied by Sindh IGP Mushtaq Mahar, additional IGP Dr Kamran Fazal, DIGs Larkana and Sukkur and SSPs of Shikarpur, Kashmore and Larkana.

He offered condolences to the grieved family members of the martyred policemen.

Meanwhile, the Sindh IG while addressing the gathering in the SSP office said police had bravely fought against dacoits and Shikarpur police had played an important role in the operation.

He said since 1983, 94 policemen of Shikarpur were killed to date but in past one year, 24 policemen of Shikarpur lost their lives in the line of duty. He vowed that police would crush dacoits soon.

Larkana DIG & Shikarpur SSP transferred

The Sindh government has transferred Larkana police DIG Nasir Aftab and Shikarpur SSP Ameer Saud Magsi during the ongoing police operation against dacoits.

Benazirabad DIG Mazhar Nawaz Shaikh has been posted as Larkana DIG and SSP Tanveer Tunio as Shikarpur SSP.

The police officers were transferred apparently for their failure to bring the situation under control in the riverine area of Khanpur, Shikarpur district.

Since May 23, two policemen and a private photographer were killed by dacoits inside the riverine area of Khanpur when they entered the katcha area to recover two hostages identified as Naqeebullah Pathan and Inayatullah (both truck drivers).

DIG Mazhar Nawaz Shaikh has served previously as SSP in different districts of Larkana police range, including Larkana, Shikarpur etc.

The police had started operation after killing of two policemen and a photographer on May 23, but so far no major achievement had been claimed by police. But Sukkur region Additional IG Dr Kamran Fazal told media that eight dacoits had been killed after the murder of two policemen.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2021