Chief Minister of Sindh, Murad Ali Shah. PHOTO: Radio Pakistan
KARACHI:
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Thursday reaffirmed his government’s strong resolve to eliminate land grabbing and land extortion in the province, saying such illegal practices would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
The chief minister made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation of the Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD), led by President Hassan Bakhshi. Interior Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar, Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Asif Haider Shah and other senior officials were also present.
CM Shah said he had watched the ABAD press conference a day earlier and thought these issues should have been raised directly with the government rather than through the media. “I have given clear instructions to the divisional and district administrations that no form of illegal encroachment or land grabbing will be tolerated anywhere in Sindh,” he added.
The ABAD representatives briefed the chief minister about the positive results of the crackdown launched a few months ago against land grabbers, adding that no new illegal occupation had been reported on their properties since then. They expressed their willingness to cooperate with the government to remove all old encroachments, a proposal approved in the meeting.
The delegation also presented extortion receipts (parchis) as well as telephone numbers of individuals who allegedly sent threats from abroad, highlighting the challenges faced by manufacturers. CM Shah demanded that all cases of extortion or threats should be immediately reported to the relevant authorities, stressing that any such issue should be taken up directly with the Home Minister.
ABAD officials said about 10 cases of extortion had been reported over the past year. Police briefed the delegation on progress in these cases, while Interior Minister Lanjar added that extensive operations led to the arrest of 50 extortionists, and six criminals were killed in clashes with police.
CM Shah asked the police to ensure immediate response to every complaint lodged by ABAD and announced that in coordination with the federal government, action would be taken against extortionists operating from abroad. “We have already eliminated extortionists from this city and we will bring them to justice again,” he said.
The provincial police chief added that several meetings had already taken place with representatives of ABAD, leading to concrete actions, including the arrest of three individuals linked to an extortion case abroad. It was decided that the police would take strict action on every complaint registered by ABAD.
