KARACHI, May 16: Sindh Home Minister Rauf Siddiqui has warned the internet cafe owners that they are allowed cabin partitions in their cafes up to the height of 4.5 feet only. These should be open cabins and covered ones will not be allowed, the minister said while chairing a high-level meeting here on Monday.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Rauf Siddiqui said that he had been continuously receiving complaints that the internet cafes were so designed that these had totally covered cabins wherein videos were taken of the people inside with the help of cameras which was totally an illegal and immoral act.

Rauf Siddiqui said such complaints were causing problems of serious nature leading to creation of moral declination in society, while the fact was that a constructive and positive use of internet did serve as a source for a lot of youth in building up their academic career.

The minister gave one week time to the owners of internet cafes to modify the cafe designs as per standard rules. He said that after one week from May 23, all DPOs and TPOs would check the internet cafes in their respective areas. He warned that in case of default, not only strict legal action would be taken against such owners but also the punishment would include sealing of their cafes. He directed all DPOs and TPOs to submit weekly reports to the CCPO and PPO.

The meeting was attended by IGP, CCPO, Additional IG (Special Branch), DIG Special Branch, DIG Operation and DIG Traffic.

MEDIA CITY: Sindh Information Technology Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal said that an internet media city would start functioning within two years in the metropolis.

He said that this would be the first and the biggest of the three such facilities in the country. The other two would be set up in Lahore and Islamabad.