Home minister says after serving their sentence they will be eligible for government jobs under rehabilitation policy
Dressed in new clothes and holding cold drinks, these were the same notorious bandits of the Katcha area once seen in viral TikTok videos flaunting weapons and issuing threats. They stood as guests of the police — wearing outfits of their choice, provided by the authorities.
Under the Sindh government’s surrender policy, on Wednesday 72 bandits laid down their arms before the police. Sindh Minister for Home Affairs Zia Lanjar, who was the chief guest at the ceremony held at Shikarpur Police Lines, said the provincial government had adopted both a Surrender Policy and an Aggressive Policing Strategy to tackle the Katcha gangs.
Minister Lanjar also announced that, after serving their sentences, the surrendered individuals would be eligible for government employment as part of their rehabilitation process.
IG Sindh noted that the Katcha area remains a safe haven for criminals, adding that Ghotki and Shikarpur have not yet been completely cleared. He said the gangs have been active in the region for more than 40 years, and since 2012, they have adopted a new tactic known as the ‘honey trap’.
Most of those who surrendered were from Shikarpur, Kandhkot and Kashmore, and were compelled to give up their weapons due to continuous police operations. DIG Larkana Division Nasir Aftab said operations had been under way for a year, during which 105 bandits were killed in encounters.
Police said, 208 bandits from the Katcha region had applied to surrender, out of which 71 requests were approved. The total bounty on the heads of those who surrendered amounted to Rs60 million, including several infamous outlaws such as Sukho, Sonaro, Gulzar, Kadu, Nisar and Nooruddin Tegho.
The surrendered weapons included rocket launchers, anti-aircraft guns, klashnikovs, and other small arms. During the ceremony, the bandits stood beside their confiscated weapons — all unloaded.
The Surrender Policy was approved a year ago during a high-level meeting in Sukkur, chaired by President Asif Ali Zardari. Under the policy, surrendered bandits must first face pending criminal cases before being included in the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).
