KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali shah has said that influx of illegal immigrant / Afghan refugees into Sindh is a big threat to the people and important installations in the province.

He directed all the DIGs and officers of Sindh police for strict vigilance of all entry and exit points to their respective districts and not to allow any illegal immigrant to enter or settle in their areas.

He also asked them to stop the construction of seminaries being built without permissions of the competent authority.

The chief minister issued this directive while presiding over a meeting held here at the CM House on Thursday to review performance of ongoing targeted operation in Karachi and formulate a counter strategy to fight with terrorists, especially with reference to strikes against suspected militant targets in tribal areas.

Taking serious notice of the reports on illegal influx of Afghan refugees indulging in arms smuggling, land grabbing and other illegal activities in Hyderabad, he directed the DIG of Hyderabad to remove them from there within three days.

The chief minister expressed concern over the reports about presence of 2.5 million aliens in Karachi and observed that the National Alien Registration Authority (Nara) and Commission for Afghan Refugees in Karachi had failed to discharge their responsibility properly.

He recommended the federal government to activate Nara to con-trol aliens and prepare a strategy to stop use of the illegal subscriber identity module (SIMs) as the two factors were resulting in increasing crimes in Karachi.

He endorsed the proposal floated by the IGP for establishing wellequipped and scientific posts with bio-metric testing facilities of Nadra and having support of metal / explosive detecting equipment at each entry point on border and big cities in the province.

The chief minister asked the police office and the DG of Rangers to work out a plan and submit to him their combine report for implementation without any delay.

Provincial Information Minister Sharjeel Memon informed the participants in the meeting that some European countries had already offered to donate such scientific equipment to counter terrorism.

The chief minister stressed the need for ensuring checking of all small and heavy vehicles for trafficking of arms and asked the IGP to go ahead and procure armoured personnel carriers, bulletproof vehicles, vests, helmets and all necessary equipment on war footing as the government already had provided legal cover for its early procurement.

The chief minister also gave approval to start construction of flats within courtyards of police stations in Karachi to ensure safe residence to the police personnel.

Agreeing with the proposal of the IG of police and DG of Rangers, the chief minister asked the chief secretary to write the KPT management that instead of depending on the police, the KPT should enhance its security measures from its own sources.He expressed satisfaction over the performance of the police and Rangers in the ongoing targeted operation and asked them to plan their strategy with reference to the reaction to strikes against suspected terrorist hideouts in tribal areas.

The chief minister said in the wake of the army action, it had been reported that illegal Afghan refugees had started landing in Hyderabad and other towns in Sindh and occupied government land and had even started businesses while many of them did not know Pushto, Urdu or any other language spoken in Pakistan.Describing these developments as very dangerous, he said they should not be allowed to enter the province.

He said that the ongoing operation not only be continued, but expedited to achieve the targets before time and directed the IGP to increase the police posts in Lyari and control crime with full force.

Earlier while briefing the meeting, Additional IG of Karachi Police Shahid Hayat said that the courts had convicted 37 criminals and awarded them sentences varying from four to 14 years while 7,000 cases were challenged in the courtsout of which 356 cases were in ATC courts, including 174 cases of targeted killings.

Those attended the meeting include Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, chief secretary Sajjad Saleem Hotlana, additional chief secretary (home) Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah, secretary to CM Rai Sikandar, law secretary Mir Mohammed Sheikh, DG of Rangers Major General Rizwan Akhtar, IG of Police Iqbal Mehmood, Additional IG of Karachi Shahid Hayat, all DIGs in Karachi, advocate general Abdul Fatah Malik, the prosecutor general and other officers of LEAs.