The army in Pakistan is taking over investigation of what the authorities describe as terrorist attacks in the southern province of Sindh, which includes the city of Karachi.

A Presidential decree ordering the move does not specify which cases are to be taken over from the police, but an official said the choice would be made by the government.

The decision comes a week after the Pakistani government decided to set up military courts, with the authority to pass final judgments, as part of its efforts to end the violence in Karachi, which has claimed the lives of more than six-hundred people so far this year.