KARACHI: The Sindh political landscape saw renewed debate on law and order and local government empowerment on Friday, as Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah reaffirmed the provincial government’s resolve to eliminate extortion, while MQM-Pakistan stepped up its demand for the implementation of constitutional provisions guaranteeing empowered local governments. Speaking to the media before the Sindh Assembly session and later addressing the House, the chief minister said the Sindh government had successfully curbed extortion in the past and would continue to take decisive action against those involved. He said he had chaired detailed meetings on the issue and noted that representatives of the Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) were largely satisfied with the actions taken so far, though they had expressed concern that new criminal elements often emerged after others were eliminated. Shah stressed the need to arrest facilitators of terrorist and criminal networks operating from abroad, adding that the provincial government had written to the federal authorities in this regard. He said the federal government had informed Sindh that red warrants had been issued against some suspects. “We had ended extortion before and we will succeed again,” he said, adding that repeated electoral victories of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) reflected public trust in the party. Meanwhile, MQM-Pakistan intensified pressure on the provincial government over local government autonomy. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025