Daily Times

KARACHI: As many as 10 military courts will start functioning in Sindh within a few days, Chief Minister’s Adviser on Information Maula Bux Chandio told a press conference after the Sindh Apex Committee’s meeting on Tuesday.

He said 25 cases have been referred to military courts and the government is planning to send more. The adviser said safe houses would also be established for the protection of witnesses. Karachi, he said, had witnessed a significant decline in the crime rate. “Enemies of Sindh are disappointed, as representatives from all the relevant institutions attended the apex committee meeting,” he said. Earlier in the day, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah presided over the meeting of the apex committee, which reviewed the law and order situation in the province with special focus on Karachi.

The issue of Rangers policing powers was also on the agenda of the meeting, which was attended by Karachi Corps Commander Navid Mukhtar, DG Rangers Major General Bilal Akbar, Sindh Home Minister Anwar Sial and others. However, Maula Bux Chandio did not shed light on what the outcome was of the deliberations on Rangers issue. Rangers-led targeted operation in Karachi and action against criminals in other parts of the province also came under discussion. The meeting discussed peace and stability in Karachi and implementation of decisions made on the basis of National Action Plan (NAP), sources said. International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has said that the trials of alleged terrorists in military courts of Pakistan and their executions are unlawful and breach the domestic law of the country as well as its international legal obligations. The observations were made in a 19-page analysis compiled by ICJ on the first anniversary of the creation of military courts in which the international body has examined their performance.