KARACHI, April 13: Taking steps to check the price spiral and the off and on resurfacing wheat flour crisis, the newly-formed government has ordered sealing of provincial borders to stop smuggling of wheat and action against hoarders.

These directives were issued at the first cabinet meeting, which began after offering Fateha for the slain chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party, Benazir Bhutto, held here on Sunday at the New Sindh Secretariat.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri said that the maintenance of law and order in the province, particularly the surge in street crimes in Karachi, was a major challenge to the new setup. However, she said, that the new government was determined to maintain law and order so that the citizens could feel safe.

Speaking about the gory incidents of April 9, she said that those found involved in the violent acts would not be spared regardless of their party affiliations.

She said the adviser to the prime minister on interior affairs, Rahman Malik, who attended the cabinet meeting on a special invitation, assured the provincial government that the federal government would extend full cooperation for the maintenance of law and order in the province, including Karachi, and would help eliminate street crime, highway robberies and kidnappings.

The minister said that the co-chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, Asif Ali Zardari, had given special directives to the prime minister’s adviser on interior affairs to ensure his presence in Karachi every week so that the inquiry into the April 9 incidents could be completed at the earliest and all those involved be exposed and brought to book.

Ms Marri said that the government was fully aware of the fact that the people had great expectations of the new setup. She said the government would take all-out measures to provide the people with the much-expected relief at the earliest.

Ms Marri said the cabinet also pledged to implement the party’s programme to mitigate miseries of the common man.

“Today was our first meeting in which the cabinet was given briefings by the relevant officials of various departments. The ministers also proposed measures to overcome the pressing issues,” she said, adding that soon another meeting of the cabinet would be held to take decisions on the suggestions.

In reply to a question, the minister said that all decisions and appointments made by the caretaker government would be reviewed in the light of reports to be submitted by the departments in this regard and all those appointments and decisions made in violation of the rules would be repealed and action initiated against all those officials found involved in such irregularities.

Ms Marri said advertisements would be given to newspapers and periodicals strictly on a merit basis.

Referring to the Rangers’ deployment at educational institutions, she said that the issue was taken up with Rahman Malik, who assured the cabinet that the matter would be reviewed and as soon as alternative measures were made available, the Rangers would be ordered to vacate educational institutions.

‘Priority is law and order’

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has stated that the first priority of the government is law and order and to strive to ensure the rights of the people and take all necessary steps to solve their problems.

He was responding to a question while leaving the committee room after presiding over the first meeting of his cabinet at the New Sindh Secretariat on Sunday.

Answering another question, the chief minister said Sindh’s water problem would be solved, besides acquiring its due share from Irsa by constructing new water reservoirs, including small and big dams in the province, so that Sindh could be turned into a basket of agricultural products.

He said that in this connection, the secretary for irrigation had a meeting with the Irsa chairman and briefed him on Sindh’s stand. “Our efforts are to take the due share of water according to the water accord.”

In reply to another question, Mr Shah said that though the Sindh cabinet had already been constituted, there would soon be an expansion.

Lyari gang war

Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza has said that the ongoing gang war in Lyari will be brought to an end within two weeks.

Talking to a group of journalists after the cabinet meeting at the New Sindh Secretariat on Sunday, the minister extended apology to the people of Lyari for failure of the past governments to provide them basic necessities of life, including employment.

He said that the present government would take steps not only to eliminate drug dens being operated in the old city areas but also to provide jobs to their dwellers.

After assuming the new responsibility, the minister said, he had sent a message trough his friends in Lyari to both the gangs. On the basis of their positive response, he expressed hope that law and order would be restored and the ongoing gang war would come to an end within two weeks.

In reply to a question, he defended the posting of Dr Shoaib Suddle as the new police chief, saying that his appointment was based on merit as he was a brave and upright officer. All town police officers and station house officers would be changed within a month, he said, adding that only bold and courageous officers having clean record would be posted.

He said that the previous regime kept public in dark and made thousands of appointments without taking merit into consideration, while saying that jobs would be given by the next government. He said all such postings and appointments would be reviewed and fresh appointments would be made from across the province on the basis of merit without taking any linguistic consideration.