KARACHI  -  Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar has said that a total of 1,15,500 policemen have been assigned to perform security duty during the upcoming general elections. These police officers will be responsible for maintaining law and order on 191 seats, including 61 National Assembly seats and 130 provincial assembly seats. The election is scheduled to take place on February 8. This he said while responding to the questions asked by the participants of the PN Staff Course of Pakistan Navy War College who called on him here at CM House.

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers – Brig (R) Haris Nawaz, Mubeen Jumani, Omar Soomro, Ahmad Shah, Chief Secretary Dr Fakhre Alam, Chairman P&D Shakeel Mangnejo, IG Police Riffat Mukhtar and provincial secretaries. The war course delegation was led by Commandant Navy War College Rear Admiral Azhar Mehmood.

In response to a question, the Chief Minister stated that treatment plants were being installed to release treated waste and industrial water into the sea, which would help control the pollution in the seawater. Additionally, the Sindh government has planted one million mangrove plants in the sea. Mangroves are a natural infrastructure that helps protect nearby populated areas by reducing erosion and absorbing storm surge impacts during extreme weather events such as hurricanes. They are also important to the ecosystem due to their dense roots, which help bind and build soils. To another question, the CM said that his government has initiated several schemes to mitigate the impact of climate change. Law & order: During a presentation to the staff course, IG Police Riffat Mukhtar highlighted the key challenges faced by law enforcement in Pakistan. He noted that street crime in urban areas, particularly in Karachi, and lawlessness in the katcha areas of Kashmore, Shikarpur, Ghotki, and Sukkur were significant issues. While terrorism was also a challenge, it had been controlled through intelligence-based targeted operations.