New Karachi top cop vows to check crime in city

The new top cop of Pakistan's troubled and violence hit city has vowed to root out terrorism and criminal activities.
Ghulam Shabbir Sheikh, the new chief of police of Sindh province, today said that he was taking office with single-minded determination to clean up Pakistan's biggest city of terrorism, violence and crime.
Sheikh today set a seven-day deadline for people to surrender their illegal weapons and remove unauthorised number plates and tainted glasses from their vehicles.
"Anyone found with an illegal weapon after the deadline or having a vehicle with fake or unauthorised number plates or tainted glasses would be tried under the anti-terrorism law," he said.

Shekh who has a reputation of being a tough and no-holds barred cop also made it clear that the police and paramilitary rangers would hold combined clean-up operations and no political pressure would be accepted in any case.
"I have made it clear that station house officers will be held responsible for any terrorism or violence in their jurisdiction and they will hold press conferences to announce any notable success," he said.

Karachi, home to some 18 million people, has since last year been hit by targeted killings, sectarian violence, street crimes and kidnapping for ransom while banned outfits have in recent months stepped up terrorism activities.

Sheikh pointed out that hours after noted social worker Perveen Rehman was gunned down near Orangi town, the police killed the main accused, Qari Bilal, in Mangophir area.
"Shortly after this act of targeted killing... Hum nay bhi us ko thikana laga diya (we also dealt with Bilal)," Sheikh said, adding that the rangers and police had in recent days gained notable success against terrorist wings in operations against the Tehreek-e-Taliban.
He said all arms licences would be scrutinised thoroughly by the home department and even legal weapons would be put through forensic tests before they were cleared.
The Supreme Court had ordered the removal of Sheikh's predecessor, Sindh's former top cop Fayyaz Leghari, after holding him responsible for the poor law and order situation in Karachi.