Sindh CM vows renewed crackdown on extortionists
KARACHI (Staff Reporter) Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday said the provincial government has once again launched a comprehensive crackdown on extortion and organised crime, expressing confidence that the menace will be eliminated as it was in the past.
Talking to the media at the Sindh Assembly, the chief minister said he had presided over a detailed meeting a day earlier to review the law-and-order situation, particularly incidents of extortion in the city. He said representatives of the business community, including members of the Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD), expressed satisfaction with the actions taken by law-enforcement agencies so far.
“The main concern raised was that when one criminal is eliminated, another emerges. This challenge is being addressed through sustained and intelligence-based operations,” Murad Shah said.
The chief minister stressed the need to act not only against criminals operating within the country but also against facilitators and handlers based abroad. He said his government had formally written to the federal government in this regard.
“In response, the federal government has informed us that red warrants have been issued against several individuals involved in facilitating extortion and terrorism from overseas,” Mr Shah added.
Murad Ali Shah reiterated that extortion had been successfully curbed in the past through coordinated efforts of the police, Rangers and intelligence agencies, and said the government would achieve similar results again.
Mr Shah said strict monitoring, improved coordination between provincial and federal authorities, and legal action against financiers and facilitators of crime would remain central elements of the strategy.
The chief minister assured traders, industrialists and citizens that maintaining law and order and ensuring a secure business environment remain among the top priorities of the Sindh government, adding that no one would be allowed to challenge the writ of the state.
