Maryam thanked Sindh Police and Sindh Government for their cooperation in tri-border areas
Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz holds briefings on the death of a young woman and her baby daughter in the Lahore manhole incident. SCREENSHOT
LAHORE:
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said the riverside areas of ‘Katcha’ in Rajanpur and Rahim Yar Khan have been cleared of criminal gangs after a six-week intelligence operation.
Addressing a high-level meeting on Saturday, she said 42 criminals from Rajanpur and 200 from Rahim Yar Khan had surrendered, adding that in total more than 500 criminals had laid down arms, including high-level gang leaders, some of whom were carrying bounties. She said the operation took place without causing any casualties among security personnel.
According to the chief minister, 45 days have passed without any incident of kidnapping for ransom or honey trap activity being reported from the region. She said the state mandate had been reinstated in territories that had become a no-go zone for law enforcement.
She said the operation was carried out under multi-agency coordination involving Pakistan Army, Rangers, Punjab Police, Sindh Police, CTD, Special Branch and other intelligence agencies. More than 1,700 police officers have been deployed, supported by drone surveillance, night vision cameras and cutting-edge technology. Armored personnel carriers (APCs), bulletproof vehicles and protective equipment were provided to the officers.
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CM Maryam said heavy weapons including rocket launchers, machine guns, pistols, ammunition and hand grenades were recovered. She said the criminals were hiding in sugarcane fields and operating from riparian areas surrounded by water, making access difficult.
She said the criminals who surrendered pledged not to engage in further criminal activity, shoot at police or attack law enforcement. She added that the extradited suspects would receive a fair trial in accordance with the law and that the hideouts of criminals and facilitators had been destroyed.
The chief minister said that after 30 years, recruitment has taken place in the Military Border Police, with 53 women inducted for the first time. She said intelligence sharing played a key role in the success of the operation and thanked the Sindh Police and the Sindh government for their cooperation in the border areas.
Announcing a development program for Katcha regions, she said schools, colleges, hospitals and TEVTA institutes would be established. Green bus services and improved transport facilities would be introduced. Agricultural land and farmer cards would be provided under the ‘Apna Khet, Apna Rozgar’ scheme. Technical education centers would be established to create employment opportunities.
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She said doctors and teachers serving in the region would receive special allowances and additional incentives, and a major program would be extended to residents to improve their living standards.
A three-member high-level committee, headed by Chief Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and including Home Minister and Additional Chief Secretary South, has been formed for the Chief Minister’s agenda for the development of Katcha region.
Maryam said the state would maintain its power in the region and ensure that people of Katcha were provided with facilities comparable to those in other parts of Punjab.
