KARACHI, (MILLAT/APP): Governor Sindh, Muhammad Zubair has said
that lack of the required number of police personnel is hindering
the achievement of desired results in curbing street crimes in
Karachi, the country’s most populous city which is home to diverse community.
In an exclusive interview with APP’s Special Correspondent in
Washington, the governor outlined his vision to transform the
violence-prone city and once again make it attractive for foreign
and domestic investment.
“Karachi has the largest concentration of Afghan population in
the world; there are people from all kinds of communities,” he said.
He said a large number of security personnel were detailed with
ministers, advisers, MPAs and other political party leaders, leaving
it less policemen to deal with law and order and control street crimes.
Although, maintenance of law and order in provinces was the
responsibility of the respective provincial governments, yet he would coordinate with the Chief Minister and Director General Rangers
to achieve that goal, he said.
Responding to a question, the governor stated that safety and
security of common people was among the top priorities of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, and his government was taking all measures to ensure that people enjoy all the basic amenities at their doorsteps without any discrimination.
To another question, the Governor said that as a result of
determined efforts by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to curb heinous
crimes, kidnapping for ransom, target killings and other terrorist activities had dropped to their lowest level as compared to what the government inherited in 2013.
He complimented the Inspector General (IG) Police Sindh and
the Director General Rangers for their efforts to maintain law and
order and said that he would provide all possible support to eliminate crimes in the city and return its past glory.
Zubair vowed to promote an investor-friendly climate in
Karachi in fulfillment of a desire by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who
wants to see the country’s biggest city returning to its old image of
“the city of lights” and the hub of commercial activity.
“The Prime Minister has a desire to transform Karachi back to ‘the
city of lights’ and conducive to investments,” the Governor said and,
citing PM’s directives, added that he would make all possible efforts
to make the city an attractive destination for business activity.
The Governor said since taking over in 2013, the Prime Minister
had focused his efforts to root out terrorism from the length and
breadth of the country and was pursuing an ambitious agenda to
eliminate poverty and economic deprivation for the common people.
“Economic prosperity will immensely contribute to achieve the goals
of peace and development in the country,” he added.
The Governor, who was overseeing the Privatisation Commission
before being appointed in the Sindh province, said that Pakistan of
today was different from what it was in 2013. “It has now been
transformed into a new era of hope that promised economic development
and prosperity for all.”
He cited the country’s record foreign exchange reserves and a
bullish stock market as evidence of heightened economic activity.
He said the Karachi Stock Exchange had set new records and was
among the world’s best performing stock markets in recent years.
The governor stated that as a result of prudent government
policies and fiscal reforms, the country’s economic growth which
remained stagnant for years, was now back on an upward trajectory
and had been duly acknowledged by international donours, including
the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
He said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had given special attention
to Karachi, which was the country’s economic hub.
The governor was confident that the vision of the Prime Minister
would make Karachi once again ‘the city of lights’, where people
lived in peace and prosperity.
Zubair thanked the Prime Minister for reposing confidence
in him and giving him the opportunity to serve the people of Sindh.