KARACHI: Sindh Cabinet has decided to lift the ban on all kind of recruitments to improve the performance of the government departments and reduce poverty in the province through employment opportunities. Sindh Chief Minister announced this while presiding over the fourth cabinet meeting. The CM said that the unemployed youth were looking towards the government to lift the ban. “It is an appropriate time to lift it because the government is trying to improve the efficiency of all the government departments, this would only be possible when all the vacant positions are filled on merit. The CM also directed all the departments to start holding meetings of departmental Promotional Committee (DPC) in this regard. It may be noted that there are around 90,000 positions vacant in the provincial government. Almost half of them require promotions, so about 50,000 positions would be filled through selection committees and Sindh Public Service Commission. The CM clarified to all the cabinet members that there would be no compromise on merit. “I need good people to make the departments efficient,” he said. The participants of the meeting strongly condemned Indian aggression and paid tributes to Army soldiers martyred by Indian Army on the border. The cabinet assured Pakistan Army of their full support on behalf of people of Sindh. “We are with you to defend our beloved country,” stated the cabinet while offered Fateha for the soldiers. The cabinet suggested the Prime minister to convene all parties’ conference on this issue. The meeting also discussed the ToRs and SOPs of Special Security Division – South (Sindh & Balochistan) being created by the federal government to provide security to the CPEC projects. In one SSD there would be nine infantry battalions comprising a force of 9000 soldiers and six wings of 4502 civil and military force. The federal government has requested Sindh to grant SSD policing powers in the area of their operation but the cabinet members showed their reservations saying that the police stations are already working so a parallel force with police powers would create serious clash of mandate and law. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said the Sindh government is committed to provide security to CPEC projects but the reservations shown by the cabinet members carry weight. Therefore, he constituted a committee headed by him which include Nisar Khuhro, Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani and Advisor Law Murtaza Wahab to examine the request and frame recommendations. The cabinet authorized the chief minister to talk to the federal government and take a decision on SSD accordingly. The cabinet discussed shisha smoking/cafe, gutka and manpuri at length and decided to impose a ban on them. Secretary Health while briefing the cabinet said that shisha smoking is equal to smoking 150 cigarettes in single time as about nine liters smoke is inhaled when a person smokes shisha. The cabinet while imposing ban on shesha, gutka and manpuri directed the IG police to implement the decision. Chief minister while taking the cabinet into confidence said that he had decided to enforce operation timings for shops and markets and they would be from 9am to 7pm while the closing time of marriage halls would be 10 pm. The cabinet appreciated the decision and a committee comprising Industries Minister Manzoor Wassan, Advisor to Chief Ministers Senator Saeed Ghani (labour), and Mola Bux Chandio (information) was formed to talk to small traders, marriage hall managements and other concerned. “I am keen to implement it just after 10 Moharram and everyone including traders, businessmen, and civil society are supporting me. He urged the IG Police to take action against the vehicles plying on ‘Applied for Registration’ number plates. “I have directed Excise Department to register all the CM House vehicles and issue them number plates, adding that he had installed a registration number plate on his official car and removed the monogram of ‘Wazir-e-Aala Sindh.’ He also directed the chief secretary that every vehicle must have number plate, and those used for protocol duty should have stickers of ‘Protocol’ but must bear standard registration number plates. IG police AD Khwaja briefed the cabinet about the security plan he has made for majalis and jaloos in Muharram-ul-Haraam. There would be sufficient force in uniform and in plain clothes guarding the mourners all over Sindh. “We have upgraded CCTV system to make it more efficient,” there is a need of more cameras. Hence, the CM directed IT department to provide 200 CCTV cameras to the police department. The IG said that the police and Rangers are in close coordination with intelligence agencies. The CM directed the minister for parliamentary affairs Nisar Khuhro to bring all the private bills in the cabinet meetings for discussion. He said that he wanted to discuss private bill on dowry in the cabinet shortly. The cabinet also discussed some draft bills and sent most of them to cabinet committees for further discussion.