KARACHI: A day after the Association of Builders and Developers (Abad) complained of increasing incidents of extortion in the metropolis, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah held a meeting with a representative delegation on Thursday and assured them that his government would take a decisive action against those involved in orchestrating extortion calls from abroad and land grabbing.

“We have decided, with the support of the federal government, to proceed against those who sit abroad and make extortion calls,” he told the delegation.

The delegation, led by Hasan Bakshi, handed over to the CM copies of extortion slips (parchis) they had received, along with the telephone numbers of those demanding protection money from abroad.

A press statement issued from the CM House said that the meeting decided that the police would take strict action on every single complaint lodged by Abad.

“I will also talk to the federal government so that those extortionists sitting abroad can be arrested,” the chief minister said. “We had wiped out extortionists from this city before, and we will once again ensure they are brought to account.”

Mr Shah said he had listened to Abad’s press conference a day earlier and felt the matter should have been brought directly to him instead of being raised in the media.

The Abad delegation included Afzal Hameed, Hanif Gohar and other office-bearers, while Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Home Secretary Iqbal Memon, Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi, Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon also present.

The IGP briefed the meeting that, on builders’ complaint, three men linked to an extortionist operating from abroad had been arrested. The chief minister also made it clear that land grabbing would not be allowed anywhere in Sindh. “Under no circumstances can encroachment on land be permitted,” he asserted.

The Abad representatives said they were ready to work jointly with the government to remove any old encroachments that might still exist, and a consensus was reached to move forward together in this regard.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2025