Sindh Prepares Action Plan for Rule of Law Reforms

6 September 2019 - Karachi The Home Department Government of Sindh, in coordination with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), organized a Results Planning Workshop for members of all the Technical Working Groups (TWGs) formed under the Sindh Rule of Law Roadmap here on Wednesday 4 September 2019.

The purpose of convening this technical meeting was to finalize the targeted strategies required to implement strategic priorities, as outlined in the Sindh RoL Roadmap which has already been cleared and approved by the Chief Minister and his Cabinet in mid-June this year.

Chairing the review meeting, Mr Abdul Kabir Kazi, Secretary Home Department, recognized the proactive role of rule of law stakeholders including Police, Prosecution, Prisons, Probation, and Reclamations for chalking out a realistic and measurable one-year action plan of reforms. The Secretary also spoke of the importance of collecting reliable and quality data for effective tracking of action plans, while referring to targets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) prioritized by senior officials representing different entities of the criminal justice system. In his concluding remarks, Mr Kazi noted that the challenge lay in meaningful collaboration, as institutions could not deliver tangible results for citizens if they continued working in silos.
Former IG Sindh Police Mr Niaz A Siddiki welcomed the workshop participants on behalf of UNODC, where he is currently engaged as Senior Rule of Law Advisor. Mr Siddiki observed that we were in need of specific public policy reforms on an urgent basis, while noting that nothing could be more noble than taking action for improving citizens' access to justice. He also emphasized the need for use of credible data in verifying results, while mentioning the past practice of questionable data sources which, he added, concealed more than revealed facts on the ground. He assured the audience of continuous technical assistance from development partners such as UNODC who were committed to supporting the Government of Sindh in its ongoing initiatives aimed at upholding rule of law in the province. 

Highlighting the extent of law and order challenges in Sindh, Mr Zulfiqar Ali Larik, DIG Finance Sindh Police, stated that the poor conviction rate in street crimes was a matter of concern from the law enforcement perspective. Claiming credit for largely overcoming the challenges of militancy and terrorism in Sindh, Mr Larik noted the need to invest in police training, intelligence led policing, and use of forensics etc. to further improve institutional performance in this regard.

 Mr Sharjil Kharal, DIG Operations Sindh Police, spoke on the different types of crime prevalent in Sindh; including the complex challenges of tackling these on a sustainable basis. Referring to serious and violent crimes, Mr Kharal recommended cross-institutional coordination for achievement of justice outcomes. This, he emphasized, could only be   realized by prioritizing public policy actions. Endorsing the proposed action plan for Sindh Police, he recommended to the participants regular interaction.
Concluding the workshop, the Secretary assured the participants of continued support from the Home Department. He said, 'We are in the process of putting in place a robust oversight, management, and monitoring structure to drive rule of law reforms as provided in the Sindh Rule of Law Roadmap'. 'Moving forward', the Secretary Home continued, 'the first review meeting of the Roadmap Steering Committee for the Sindh Rule of Law Roadmap will soon be convened to approve action plans as prepared by participants of this Workshop.'