Sindh Chief Minister orders security audit of most visted shrines in province

KARACHI, Mar, 7 (Pakistan Point News - APP - 07th Mar, 2017 ) - Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah Tuesday directed officials to initiate security audit and prepare a fool-proof security plan for most visited shrines in province.

Chairing a high-level meeting at the CM House here, he also ordered urgent recruitment of constables who may be deputed at the sacred sites besides removal of encroachments around the shrines.

Syed Murad Ali Shah was informed by the officials that there were more than 10 highly sensitive shrines across the province that needed special security measures. Shrines of Abdullah Shah Ghazi, Manghopir Baba, Dargah Hazrat Sakhi Abdul Wahab Shah Jilani (Hyderabad), Dargah Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Dargah Saeedi Moosani, Dargah Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Abdullah Shah Ashabi, Shah Aaqeeq, Sachal Sarmast, Gaji Shah (Dadu), Dargah-e-Aalia Hussainabad (Shahadadkot), Shah Inayat, Udero Lal and Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto were identified to be among the most visited and sensitive sites.

The meeting also discussed report of the security team, that on the instructions of Sindh chief minister visited Data Darbar, Lahore so as to formulate a security plan for most sensitive shrines.

The chief minister was told that after 2010 blast at Data Darbar, a security audit of the shrine was carried out and shrines, across Punjab, were cataloged into A, B, C categories. The Punjab government was said to had placed 15 shrines in A category and as a top priority encroachments around these shrines were removed.

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah taking policy decision, on the occasion, said that all the shrines identified as sensitive in Sindh must be extended security on top priority basis. He constituted a committee comprising Additional IG Special Branch (Convener), DIG RRF, Chief Administrator of Auqaf, Superintendent Engineer Hyderabad Division, concerned DCs and chairmen of concerned local councils.

It was agreed that the committee would visit each and every Dargah particularly, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Abdullah Shah Ghazi, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Shah Aqeeq and Manghopir Baba to conduct their security audit.

The committee on basis of their security audit would grade each and shrine propose their security plan, construction work, removal of encroachment and method of security and search. Sindh chief minister directed the chief secretary to issue necessary instruction to the concerned administrators of all the shrines in the province to ensure removal of beggars from the vicinity as beggars could also be a security threat.

IG police was asked to appoint local male and female constables who may also be necessarily imparted special training in the realm of search and security. "They must, on completion of needed training, be immediately deployed at the dargahs," said Syed Murad Ali Shah.

The chief minister said shrines are of immense importance for the province as are catalyst in promoting inter-faith unity. "The people of different religion, sects and beliefs gather there by setting aside their respective beliefs and demonstrate a unique unity," he said urging officials to ensure complete security and safety of the sacred sites and the visitors.

He also ordered that compound walls be raised at these sites, in accordance to needs besides installation of CCTV cameras coupled with well-equipped command and control room to monitor them. The meeting was attended by provincial minister for transport and Zakat Nasir Shah, Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, IG Police A.

D. Khowaja, Additional IG Sanaullah Abbasi, Home Secretary, Kazi Shahid Parvez, Secretary for Works, Aijaz Memon, Zakat and Auqaf Secretary, Riaz Hussain Soomro and others.