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                        <title>The Express Tribune</title>
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                        <description>The Express Tribune keeps you up to date with all the latest happenings from Pakistan and across the world!</description>
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			<title>Protection money: Traders signal willingness to pay extortionists</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/465393/protection-money-traders-signal-willingness-to-pay-extortionists</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/465393/protection-money-traders-signal-willingness-to-pay-extortionists#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 14 Nov 12 04:10:45 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[farhan.zaheer]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category><category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=465393</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Say the govt has failed to protect them; their colleagues, however, have refused to relent to growing pressure.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Accepting the parallel existence of extortionists (bhatta mafia) as protectors alongside the law enforcement agencies in Karachi, some traders in the city have decided to pay extortion money to them for protection and security in their respective areas, representatives of trade groups said on Tuesday.


“This step shows that traders think extortionists are more powerful than the government,” All Karachi Tajir Ittehad chief cAtiq Mir said. “The action of some traders proves that they have formally accepted the state within a state in Karachi.”

Mir added: “This is the height of helplessness of traders. They have been crying [about extortionists] for over two years but nobody is listening to them.”

Representatives of different trade bodies said that traders and small businesses were dismayed at the government’s inaction and they have no confidence in the government to provide security.

Mir revealed that some traders met him on Tuesday and informed him that from now on they would regularly pay extortion money ranging from Rs500 to Rs1,000 per shop and gain immunity for themselves. According to him, traders no longer feel that the police and Rangers can protect them. And they had little choice than to reconcile with the idea of extortion.

Some traders are from the old city area – the volatile southern most area of city and some other areas that are situated in the city centre, Mir claimed.

Other traders will not bow down

However, subsequent to this development, other trader groups called their meetings on Tuesday and decided not to pay extortion to the mafia.

“We have decided not to pay a single penny to any group because by doing this we will accept their upper hand in this situation,” Chairman Old City Traders Alliance, Jameel Paracha said. “If we pay them Rs1,000 per shop today, tomorrow they will demand Rs5,000, then who will pay them?” he asked.

Paracha mentioned that around 20 days ago, leading businessmen met Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan and threatened to give a strike call if their grievances were not addressed. But, unfortunately, the government’s action was still limited to words only and there was no security plan on the ground in the most affected areas of the city.

Paracha said that there were over 200 markets in the old city area and the government had recently provided only five policemen to each market, which he said was not enough and the situation would continue to remain unsafe.

This is why traders and businessmen are demanding the government to use the army to deal with the extortionists groups active in Karachi, Paracha concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Following assurances, Karachi's businessmen defer strike by a month</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/457728/following-assurances-karachis-businessmen-defer-strike-by-a-month</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/457728/following-assurances-karachis-businessmen-defer-strike-by-a-month#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Oct 12 17:05:55 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=457728</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Sindh governor says police checkposts will be formed in every market of Karachi.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Karachi’s traders and industrialists have decided to defer their strike by 30 days after Sindh governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan assured them of increasing police force in markets and industrial areas of the city, Express News reported. 

Khan, who met with representatives of the business community at the governor house on Sunday told media in a joint press conference afterwards that as many as 500 additional policemen will be posted in the industrial areas in addition to forming police checkposts in every market of the city.

Following the assurances, representatives of Karachi’s business community including the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), announced their decision to defer their strike call for November 8, 2012, by a month.

Earlier in the month, the FPCCI had held a press conference where they had requested intervention by the country's armed forces to help control the rampant law and order situation in Pakistan's financial hub.

“The security situation in the city is far from satisfactory,” said FPCCI acting president Shaikh Haroon Rasheed had said on October 20. “If the government fails to act by November 8, the businessmen will strike again.”

Replying to questions from media persons, businessmen said that the government has failed in controlling the militant wings of political parties, which is why the intervention of the army is necessary.]]>
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			<title>As police flounder, MQM and businessmen prepare parallel security forces</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/430831/as-police-flounder-mqm-and-businessmen-prepare-parallel-security-forces</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/430831/as-police-flounder-mqm-and-businessmen-prepare-parallel-security-forces#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 03 Sep 12 20:11:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=430831</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The party would provide the manpower, the CPLC legalities and markets will coordinate.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is following through on its offer to provide protection to Karachi’s traders and industrialists and a preliminary plan is being reportedly chalked up.

The party met some of the city’s prominent business professionals on Sunday, including Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mian Abrar Ahmed, head of the All Karachi Tajir Ittehad Atiq Mir and the Sindh Board of Investment Chairperson Zubair Motiwala as well as Siraj Kassim Teli and SM Munir. MQM Deputy Convener Dr Farooq Sattar and Sindh ministers Raza Haroon, Abdul Rauf Siddiqui and Dr Sagheer Ahmed took part.

In his speech at an Iftar on August 6, party head Altaf Hussain had offered to contribute 100,000 party activists to provide security for traders, given the widespread cases of extortion. He also told them to buy guns for their own protection.

Attendees at Sunday’s meeting, according to Atiq Mir, discussed that proposal in more detail. Mir told The Express Tribune that, “the government and law enforcement agencies have failed in their duty to protect citizens”.

“We hear from the government and the police and Rangers that they do not have adequate forces to provide protection, and we should hire private security instead,” Mir said.

The MQM, Mir said, asked for suggestions on what the party could do for the business community. “It was suggested that the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee could develop a framework on how to bring this force into the legal domain, as a parallel with the police and Rangers.”

Mir said that it was decided that the MQM would provide the manpower, the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee would look at the process and the legalities and the coordination with markets would be undertaken by the respective associations.

“If the government would fulfil its responsibilities then one wouldn’t need an organisation,” Mir said, in response to a question about potential complications arising from a parallel security force.

Mir said the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee had been told to start on the paperwork “right away” and this process would get moving very soon.

According to the MQM’s official account of the meeting, the business professionals and industrialists at the meeting expressed their concern over the cases of extortion and kidnapping in Karachi, and also offered solutions.

The MQM, in turn, has offered to host conventions in Karachi and Lahore for the business community and to provide support in countering crime.

CPLC chief Ahmed Chinoy did not respond to calls by the time of filing this report.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>In Essa Nagri, residents remember the shopkeeper who didn’t pay bhatta</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/430349/in-essa-nagri-residents-remember-the-shopkeeper-who-didn%e2%80%99t-pay-bhatta</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/430349/in-essa-nagri-residents-remember-the-shopkeeper-who-didn%e2%80%99t-pay-bhatta#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 02 Sep 12 22:48:43 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[rabia.ali]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=430349</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Faisal Masih became the first resident of Christian-dominated Essa Nagri to be killed by extortionists.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[At the memorial service for Faisal Masih in Essa Nagri, a threat of being under siege was palpable in the air. Friends, family and residents of the area had gathered near a roadside tent where prayers for the 24-year-old victim were organised on Sunday.

On August 29, Faisal Masih had become the first resident of Karachi’s Essa Nagri, a majority of whose residents are Christians, to be killed by extortionists. Faisal, who used to offer cell phone credit transfer facilities to consumers, was shot dead outside his shop when he refused to pay the extortionists who had made his life a living hell.

Criminals had repeatedly called upon him in the past as well.

But shopkeepers in the area, many of whom were present at the memorial service, had been receiving threats from the bhatta mafia for quite some time. Sadiq Masih, a resident of the area, was handed an extortion slip two months ago and was directed to pay Rs500,000. He received a threatening phone call soon afterwards. “The extortionists told me that I was making a lot of money from the mobile phone tower at the top of my roof.” Sadiq temporarily moved out of the area, but was unable to shake away the criminals. He ended up paying half of the money that was initially demanded by the unknown men.

John, who owns a small grocery store in the area, said that he had paid Rs10,000 to extortionists three months ago. “Seeing that what they did to Faisal, I am glad that I gave them the money.”

Criminals have managed to put in place a very sophisticated system for collecting money from innocent, peace-loving residents, completely undermining the security apparatus in the city.

Three political parties have divided streets among themselves, from which they extort money, claims a Christian leader of the area, Michael Javed. Criminals have also moved into Essa Nagri after the Lyari operation. “One party collects money from three streets, while another collects it from other four streets,” he said.

While the bhatta mafia has proven itself to be the bane of existence for countless businesses all over the metropolis, Christian shopkeepers in Essa Nagri believe that they are being targeted so that they would ultimately leave the area. “Political parties want to turn Essa Nagri into their own constituency,” exclaimed Samuel Bashir, Faisal’s uncle. “Robberies have become rampant in the area and bandits fire into the area. We feel helpless.” He added that three families have already moved from the area.

The police’s response

PIB police say that they are treating the incident as a regular crime. “This is prevalent throughout the whole city, and is not something new,” said sub inspector Gul Sarfaraz.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3rd, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Traders considering deducting protection money from their income taxes</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/427515/traders-considering-deducting-protection-money-from-their-income-taxes</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/427515/traders-considering-deducting-protection-money-from-their-income-taxes#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 28 Aug 12 20:28:29 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=427515</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[This Ramazan was especially hard for the business community.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The city’s business community ends up paying Rs15 million to extortionists every day, and this form of “double taxation” has to end, argued the city’s main body, the All Karachi Tajir Ittehad.

The Ittehad’s chairman, Atiq Mir, said that traders would start submitting “extortion slips” along with their official tax returns to the Federal Board of Revenue and then use them to claim a deduction on their income taxes. “If the situation is not brought under control by September 2013, then we will start deducting the extortion we pay from our income taxes,” said Mir.

While speaking at a recent programme, Mir said that Ramazan was especially hard on the business community this year, as it paid two rupees in extortion for every rupee it owed the government in taxes in the month. “We will adjust our tax returns accordingly if the government does not allow us address the issue.”

Mir added that over 30,000 traders had been forced to move their businesses outside the city due to the menace of extortion, and that the number could reach 50,000 by the end of the year if the government failed to address the problem.

Blocking illegal SIMs

Both the government and the business community have seemed to realise the significant role played by cell phones in facilitating extortionists and other criminals. While authorities still have to figure out a way to deal with “e-extortion,” in which criminals coerce people to use e-banking and cell phone credit transfer facilities to pay them.

Former interior minister Rehman Malik had recently created quite a stir when he announced that millions of prepaid SIMs would be deactivated. However, he later clarified that only SIMs that were registered on “fake identities” will be blocked.

Mir was also cautious in response to the government’s decision to deactivate millions of illegal prepaid SIM cards in the country. He said that traders had been asking authorities to take action against “illegal” SIMs, but the government ended up taking a sweeping action against 100 million prepaid SIM cards, which ended up hurting the business community.

The government had also directed cell phone service companies to stop providing cellular services throughout the country on the eve of Eidul Fitr. The services were restored around noon on the first day of Eid.

“Law enforcement agencies should spend some time and scrutinise records, and then block those SIMs” that are being used for nefarious purposes like kidnapping for ransom or extorting money,” said Mir.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Explosion outside Gulberg hospital was bungled bomb by extortionists</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/426318/explosion-outside-gulberg-hospital-was-bungled-bomb-by-extortionists</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/426318/explosion-outside-gulberg-hospital-was-bungled-bomb-by-extortionists#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 25 Aug 12 20:52:59 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[faraz.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=426318</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Police first believed the August 8 incident was a hand grenade attack.]]>
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				<![CDATA[An explosion outside a private hospital at Gulberg Chowrangi on August 8 was a mishandled bomb and not a grenade attack as previously feared.


Initially investigators believed that the explosion was caused when a hand grenade was lobbed at a car parked close to the hospital, injuring its passengers Salman Baloch and Rizwan Baloch.

But then traces of detonator chord found on Rizwan’s fingers gave the two men away, said a senior officer, quoting from the inquiry report. The men had placed the explosives in the car’s dashboard.

Salman and Rizwan are actually extortionists who were planning to attack the hospital in revenge for registering an FIR. “The negotiations had been going on for many days,” said a staffer at the hospital, who did not want to be named. “But the day we registered the FIR, they tried to attack us.” The hospital official said they had demanded Rs5 million.

Salman and Rizwan were rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital but Salman escaped with outside help. The police suspect the involvement of a man named Saleem Baloch, who is known as an alleged target killer with strong political affiliations.

District West DIG Akram Naeem Borkha confirmed the involvement of Saleem Baloch but neither confirmed nor denied his links with political parties. “Before catching Saleem Baloch we need to catch Salman Baloch. If we get our hands on either one, a lot of this will be cleared up,” he told The Express Tribune. “Yes, you could say that after this incident there was a significant drop in the extortion, which leads us to believe it was a big racket.”

A senior CID official said that the two men were former workers of the Pakistan Peoples Party and even had links with the Arshad Pappu group of Lyari gangsters but at present they were affiliated with another political party. That political party was contacted by this newspaper but they denied he had any links with them and instead said he was working for another party.

For its part, the PPP’s district Central leader Sohail Abidi told The Express Tribune that both suspects were not currently affiliated with the party but were former workers of the Peoples Student Federation. “They were PSF workers at one time,” he said. “But many years ago they left and joined another political party.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26th, 2012. ]]>
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			<title>E-extortion: shakedowns in K-town go paperless</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/425354/e-extortion-shakedowns-in-k-town-go-paperless</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/425354/e-extortion-shakedowns-in-k-town-go-paperless#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 23 Aug 12 19:07:12 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[faraz.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=425354</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Police frustrated over blocked access to records and companies not pushed to help.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[When Frank Costello, better known as the prime minister of the underworld, used to run the streets of New York City, extorting money was a fairly simple game – his men used to go door to door revealing a weapon concealed in their jackets.


Up until now in Karachi, extortionists have kept it just as simple. A slip of paper here, a telephone call there. And when this cajoling doesn’t work, a hand grenade usually does the trick. No one ever really gets hurt. But times are changing which is why they have gone high-tech with phone credit transfers and e-banking.

You do not need to have a SIM from a network provider or even a phone, just valid identification for this to work. To send the money, all you need are identity cards, their numbers and a five-digit secret code.

For the authorities this complicates policing. If it was difficult to arrest suspects before, it has become virtually impossible now, especially since no one wants to come forward and register a complaint. According to the police, so far this year nearly 700 complaints were registered but that was just a fraction of the victims. It doesn’t help that they don’t have legal access to cell phone records either.

“The phone credit transfer and e-banking has created a lot of problems for us. It was supposed to help people, but is being misused,” said deputy police chief Iqbal Mehmood. “This situation can take a turn for the worse if we don’t act but our hands are tied. We cannot do anything till others, including the victims and mobile network operators, help us.”

Extortionists use fake identities to buy SIM cards which is why the police need mobile network operators to help catch them.

A case involving an alleged extortion attempt on a SUPARCO employee is currently being heard by an anti-terrorism court. The suspect is believed to have made the extortion threat over the phone and ask for the money to be transferred via the phone credit transfer facility.

Why the police want you to say ‘no’  

For the authorities, this scam is risky as there is no direct or physical contact with the perpetrator when the threat is made or when the money is collected. They fear that the system is so user-friendly that the average person could get greedy.

Their fears came true when working with the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee. The police have arrested two teens wanted in eight extortion cases in Sharae Noor Jahan.

Intermediate students Musavir Alam and Arsalan were threatening their relatives and extorting money from them. “I had to give Alam Rs10,000 but I did not have the money,” said Arsalan. “I thought I could call my grandfather and scare him into giving me the money.” Once this worked, they started working other relatives and used the computerised national identity card of a dead political party worker to collect the money.

“The phone credit transfer and e-banking facility has made it so easy to extort money,” said a CPLC official. “It has made every second citizen in the city a victim. You and I may never know, but someone in my house could also be a victim.”

The problem is compounded by a lack of verification when people buy SIM cards from outlets. “We are not the police,” shrugged one employee. “We are just here to help customers. It is up to the police to investigate and arrest the suspects. We have nothing to do with this.”

But it appears that the mobile network operating companies may be waking up to reality. One company’s spokesman, Affan Haider, told this newspaper that while these services were aimed at helping people they would act as far as extortion was concerned. But this too is contingent on people filing official complaints with the company. For now it seems as if the victims are as silent as the transactions.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>In Ramazan, extortion went unchecked</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/424165/in-ramazan-extortion-went-unchecked</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/424165/in-ramazan-extortion-went-unchecked#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 19 Aug 12 21:51:31 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[farhan.zaheer]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=424165</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Businessmen demand licensed weapons for their defence.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Every year, the month of Ramazan brings slowdown to some businesses while there are some that thrive. Among the businesses that flourish in Karachi is extortion.

About two weeks ago, in the presence of high-ranking police officers at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), businessmen called on the government to either improve security in Karachi or provide weapons for all the business community. They also vowed that they would start their own campaign for acquiring licensed weapons for their defence after Eid-ul-Fitr.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Mian Abrar Ahmed, President of KCCI, the top body of businessmen and traders of the city with over 18,000 members, said providing licensed weapons to the business community is one of the best options in present conditions.

“We are in continuous contact with the law-enforcement agencies and by continuously pitching this idea we believe it can improve the city’s security situation,” he said.

Citing a recent incident, Ahmed said a trader in one of the posh markets of Karachi killed a robber and believed the deterrent of licensed weapons would work in the absence of strong policing.

The demand for weapons is not new, the city’s business community has been asking for them for a few years. With a growing population and declining state control, Karachi – the financial capital of the country – has turned into a hub of extortionists.

The city saw a horrific wave of target killings and extortion last year in which hundreds of people were killed that eventually compelled the business community to call for direct intervention of the army to control the situation.

The businessmen believe that the city police have their own weaknesses that actually help criminal elements. Other problems like lack of technical support and lack of political will to control crimes also impact the performance of the police.

However, some other businessmen were of the view that licensed weapons were not the only answer to the security issue. Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) Chairman Ehtesham Uddin said the responsibility of the government does not end by providing weapons to the business community. “The right answer is to invest in police to control crimes in this city of around 20 million people,” he said.

Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) Karachi Chief Ahmed Chinoy pointed out that the CPLC acts as an intermediary between police and people, trying to convince the latter to stop paying money to the extortionists and lodge FIRs against them.

“The extortionists are minting easy money by threatening the common man. They are being encouraged because of our behaviour,” he said.

However, he said, the Sindh police are continuously arresting small and big gangs involved in extortion. “I just want to request people to have a little patience. Moreover, I would say that investigations and other operations are on right track.”

An owner of a large departmental store chain in Karachi, who wanted to remain anonymous, told The Express Tribune that as far as controlling extortion is concerned, it is far from satisfactory.

There have been dozens of incidents in which houses of businessmen and leading store chains, which refused to pay money to the extortionists, have been targeted with hand grenades, he said.

Not only traders and small businessmen, the corporate sector is also worried over the security situation.

OICCI – the largest association of multinationals in Pakistan with over 180 members – is increasingly vocal about the security challenges in the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Help needed!: Police release photos of top ten ‘extortionists’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/420947/help-needed-police-release-photos-of-top-ten-%e2%80%98extortionists%e2%80%99</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/420947/help-needed-police-release-photos-of-top-ten-%e2%80%98extortionists%e2%80%99#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 11 Aug 12 20:29:56 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=420947</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Special Investigation Unit issues images to help citizens recognise criminals.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The images of 10 most-wanted extortionists said to be involved in around 90 per cent of extortion cases in the city have been released by the police.


The pictures were issued at a press conference held at the Karachi police’s Special Investigation Unit office on Saturday. The SIU chief, SP Khurram Waris, and the Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) chief, DSP Wasif Qureshi, told the journalists about the suspects who were stated to be linked to different gangster groups.

“If they are eliminated, consider Karachi free from extortion mafia,” said SP Waris. “They have been booked in more than 100 major extortion cases.

The photos released were of Ahmed Ali Magsi, the head of the Magsi group, Syed Kamran Jilani aka Kala, Malik Asif and Danish of Sultan Khan group, Raju aka Bholo of Bholo Qureshi group, Abdul Rahman alias Ashok, Farhan Qureshi, Fakhar, Sheraz aka Comrade and Sohail.

The most notorious among the lot is Ahmed Ali Magsi, who is allegedly affiliated with the banned Peoples Amn Committee.

He has also been booked in target killing cases of over 18 workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

The officers said that the suspects have also shot dead or injured many people over their refusal to pay extortion money.

“They are difficult to catch because nobody recognises them by face as they assign their workers for criminal activities,” said the AEC chief. “The release of their photographs will help the citizens identify them and get them arrested.”

Anyone who helps the police in arresting the extortionists or provides credible information leading to their arrests will be rewarded “appropriately”. The names of the informants would be kept secret.

The city has witnessed a sharp increase in extortion cases with criminals frequently threatening traders and shopkeepers of dire consequences if the desired amounts are not paid. Recently, the extortionists have adopted another tactic to cow the business community by hurling hand grenades at shops and markets that refuse extortion. The officials also claimed to have arrested five men allegedly involved in extortion and target killing cases.

The suspects were identified as Abdul Rahman, Yousuf Lahoti, Shahzad Khaskheli, Tahir Mehmood and Mohammad Shahid.  They were arrested during an encounter on Mauripur Road and a hand grenade, four Kalashnikovs and three pistols were seized from them.

The men were booked in over 50 extortion cases, especially in old city areas, and over half a dozen target killings. About two months ago, they had killed a Rangers soldier and wounded his colleague in the Aram Bagh area, the SIU chief said.

The suspects were said to be linked to the notorious Baba Ladla and Sheraz Comrade groups.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 12th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Taking up arms</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/418716/taking-up-arms</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/418716/taking-up-arms#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 07 Aug 12 17:38:00 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=418716</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Altaf Hussain's call to take up arms is in some ways highly disquieting, indicates the times of trouble we are in.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief, Altaf Hussain, never stays out of the headlines for long. This time, at an iftari hosted by the MQM, he called on Karachi’s businessmen to buy whatever sophisticated weapons they could, including A-3s and Kalashnikovs, in order to deal with extortionists. Mr Hussain suggested that even if bribes needed to be paid, these weapons should be acquired as the business community had no other means to deal with the ‘bhatta’ mafia. He also said that the MQM would be willing to provide 100,000 men to help the business community protect itself. He pointed out that traders were already spending huge sums of money paying ‘bhatta’ and may as well hire bodyguards instead.

Mr Hussain’s remarks came in the presence of Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and other senior government officials, who all appeared embarrassed by the contents of his speech. Mr Hussain stated that they had failed to protect people and also asked Mr Malik why he spoke so often of an operation in Lyari when none took place, day after day and week after week. This is not the only attack Mr Malik faced. He was also asked why he was calling the people of Balochistan ‘terrorists’ or  ‘anti-national elements’, when in fact, they were victims of the security forces0. His criticism of the government also covered other areas and he stated that while he opposed any division of Sindh there may be no choice left in the future.

Mr Malik made an attempt to defend the government and also lavished the MQM chief with praise, saying it was because of him that the government was still intact. This, however, hardly covered up all that Mr Hussain had said. His remarks obviously come as a sharp rebuke to the government and send a tremor to the uneasy coalition that exists. A major national leader calling on people to take up arms is in some ways highly disquieting and indicates the times of trouble we have run into in Karachi and indeed everywhere else.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Extortion: Taliban also getting a piece of the Karachi pie, meeting told</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/418642/extortion-taliban-also-getting-a-piece-of-the-karachi-pie-meeting-told</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/418642/extortion-taliban-also-getting-a-piece-of-the-karachi-pie-meeting-told#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 07 Aug 12 02:06:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=418642</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[CDR facility made available as CM Sindh urges cooperation between public, law enforcement forces for effective action.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[As a dud grenade was found at the gates of a Karachi businessman on Monday after he failed to give into the demands of extortionists, a high level meeting to tackle the increasingly disturbing trend was called at the Chief Minister House.

There, the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and federal Minster for Interior Rehman Malik were told that among those extorting businessmen in Karachi were militants, especially the Taliban.

Inspector General Police and officials of intelligence agencies briefed the meeting about the law and order situation and that the provincial police was not equipped to even trace the phone calls made by extortionists.

While this prompted the centre to make available Call Detail Record (CDR) from PTCL to the IG Police, the meeting came to a conclusion that concerted collective action and cooperation between the law enforcing forces, intelligence agencies and the general public was necessary to improve the situation.

It was decided that patrolling will be extended in various areas of Karachi and also on highways together with prompt vigilance and early action against criminals, extortionists and kidnappers.

Malik believed that the objective of such criminal activities was to destabilise Karachi, before issuing a warning to target killers, extortionists and their behind-the-scene masters to end their activities and surrender before government or face action.

The meeting was appraised of the gains made by law enforcement agencies, detailing that a large number of criminals have been arrested by Police and Rangers. In all 133-extortion money collectors have been arrested so far while further action is under way. By way of losses, the meeting heard of the deaths of 55 police and Rangers in their bid to restore peace in the city.

Police and Rangers were directed to exercise a zero tolerance policy when combating dens of criminals and the Taliban. It was also decided to enhance security of foreign workers.

The meeting appreciated the efforts of Rangers and police observing a rare lull in target killings in the 48 hours leading up to the meeting.

The meeting was attended among others by principal secretary to CM Muhammad Siddique Memon, Secretary Home Sindh Rizwan Memon, IG Police Sindh Fayaz Ahmed Leghari, representative from Rangers Col Shafique, Additional IG Police Karachi Iqbal Mehmood, other high ranking officers of law enforcement agencies, DIG’s of Police East, West and South and others.]]>
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			<title>Defused grenade lobbed on trader’s house in DHA</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/418432/defused-grenade-lobbed-on-trader%e2%80%99s-house-in-dha</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/418432/defused-grenade-lobbed-on-trader%e2%80%99s-house-in-dha#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 06 Aug 12 19:41:22 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=418432</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[This is the second such incident to occur in the area within two months]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The past month has been a nightmare for businessman NA and his family as a gang threatened him to pay extortion money. He ignored them and went to the police, hoping that they would take action. For a week, there was silence.

On Monday a hand grenade was lobbed at his house. Mercifully, it did not detonate. Earlier in the day, NA had received a text message saying that a defused grenade had been thrown inside his house. This prompted the family to search the garage, where they were shocked to discover one under the car.

“The culprits have been using the same numbers but the police have still not been able to shut them down,” said F, NA’s son. “They had asked for Rs5 million a month back.” The last text message sent by the gangsters stated that next time, a live grenade would be used.

The businessman had approached the police’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU) a few days ago. A complaint was also lodged with the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee’s office in Korangi Industrial Area where NA’s mill is located.

The criminal named in the case is Ahmed Ali Magsi, a man who came into the limelight after being named for murdering Muttahida Qaumi Movement activists in PIB Colony on March 27.

“Magsi said he is associated with a Lyari-based gang. We have no idea how he got our contact numbers or details about the business,” said F. “But there are so many workers in the factory. Anyone could have leaked the information to him.”

He said that the SIU has confirmed that calls were made by Magsi. “It is actually him. It’s not like someone is just using his name.”

It has become common for Karachi’s businessmen and traders to receive extortion slips and letters from people who claim to have political backing and ties with feared criminals. A few weeks ago, another businessman received similar threats and a grenade was thrown at his house, which is also located in DHA.

Clifton SP Dr Farrukh Ahmed is concerned that gangsters are becoming more and more bold in DHA. “We really want to stop this from getting worse,” he said. “We are taking every possible step to control the situation.”

While talking to the media, District South SSP Asif Ejaz Sheikh said that the suspects had been using two different numbers to call NA. He added that the suspects had thrown a Russian made grenade at his house as a threat.

The family did not inform the Clifton police about the threat till the grenade was found, he said. “They should have told us about the threats they had been receiving. I don’t know what measures the SIU has taken. But I want to ask businessmen to tell the police of the area if anything like this happens.”

NA is also a member of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry, which appears to be helpless against extortionists. “We can only inform the police,” said the vice chairman of the association, Hashim Razzak. “There is nothing else that we can do. We are not a law enforcement agency.”

The officials of DHA also expressed their helplessness. “We are not responsible for securing the life and property of the residents. That is the police’s job,” said a vigilance officer.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Extortion reaction: Altaf rakes govt over the coals, asks traders to take up arms</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/418433/extortion-reaction-altaf-rakes-govt-over-the-coals-asks-traders-to-take-up-arms</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/418433/extortion-reaction-altaf-rakes-govt-over-the-coals-asks-traders-to-take-up-arms#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 06 Aug 12 19:28:03 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=418433</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[MQM to contribute 0.1m men to protect businessmen.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[It was a no-holds barred evening as Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain skewered the Sindh government for failing to protect its business people as Rehman Malik, Nisar Khuhro, Qaim Ali Shah and Ishratul Ebad sank lower and lower into their seats in silence.


“If it is a war then we too will get fully involved in it,” Altaf declared to a wide gathering of people at the MQM’s traditional iftar party at Jinnah ground in Azizabad on Monday night.

The MQM would set up a Muttahida Tahaffuz-e-Businessman Forum as traders had requested Altaf Hussain and would donate 100,000 party activists for the security of traders given how widespread extortion had become.

Altaf told the businessmen present that they should buy G-3 rifles and Kalashnikovs, and acquire licenses even if they had to pay bribes. This is not the first time Altaf has made such an appeal and indeed, he bitterly recalled the time when he had told people to sell their refrigerators and television sets to buy weapons to protect themselves in the mid-80s. “My statements were made fun of and people had sided with my opponents!” he cried.

Altaf threatened that if the problem isn’t resolved in the four days business owners would act on their own. If they were paying extortionists millions of rupees, then they might as well hire body guards as well. He said that no one had the courage to stand up to the ‘bhatta’ mafia and asked why the Supreme Court did not do anything. “Extortionists loot money from traders and then deposit them in banks in Indonesia and Dubai,” said Altaf. “The extortionists have the latest weapons while the police roam around with weapons from the British era.”

The MQM had invited politicians, journalists, industrialists and government officials to the iftar. Adviser Rehman Malik was flanked by Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuhro, Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani and Adviser Sharmila Faruqi. Their unease was palpable as Altaf spoke of the government’s failure to protect its people.

The MQM chief talked at length about Balochistan and censured Rehman Malik for calling the people “separatists” and enemies of the state. “When the custodians of law kill people and mutilate their bodies, do you expect them to chant slogans in Pakistan’s favour?” he asked rhetorically.

Altaf directly addressed Malik and told him that when he was the director of the Federal Investigation Agency, MQM activists were put through the most brutal persecution. “They were rounded up in numbers and when they asked for water they were made to drink urine!”

For his part, Rehman Malik said to the gathering: “I want to remind the people of Sindh that Altaf bhai loves them and the MQM is a national party.” He dedicated the completion of the government’s tenure to “Altaf bhai’s” support, wisdom and his friendship with President Zardari. He assured him that wherever there were hostile elements, whether in Gilgit-Baltistan, Karachi, Balochistan or at the border, “We will take action.”

But Altaf was sitting ready with answers to all of Malik’s arguments. He retorted that they couldn’t save the country by labelling people separatists but by giving them their rights.

Talking about the Lyari operation he said, “When police were sacrificing their lives and the operation against extortionists was near success, the paramilitary forces backed out. The police said that they would resume the operation in 48 hours but the 48 hours never came.”

“Rehman Malik achay hain! Magar halaat achay nahi!” shouted Altaf. [Rehman Malik is good but the times aren’t]. Malik gathered enough wits about him to muster that he had heard all of these points made by Altaf and had carefully jotted them down.

The MQM chief was also unabashed in his criticism of the judiciary. “What body is responsible for making the law?” he asked. “Parliament or the judiciary? If parliament can’t make the laws then why don’t you send it home?” Referring to the dismissal of Yousaf Raza Gilani, he asked the chief justice why he didn’t take action against the director-general of the Frontier Constabulary who was involved in killing people, lawyers and journalists of Balochistan.

Altaf said that he had repeatedly said that he did not want Sindh to be divided. But despite that, Sindh’s nationalist leaders accuse me of dividing Sindh. “If they don’t shut up, then I will not stop my people from demanding the division of Sindh,” he thundered.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Extortion, killings: Businessmen may take up arms for their defence</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/416787/extortion-killings-businessmen-may-take-up-arms-for-their-defence</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/416787/extortion-killings-businessmen-may-take-up-arms-for-their-defence#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 02 Aug 12 20:23:23 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=416787</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Unregistered mobile phone SIMs are used to threaten them.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Office-bearers of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Thursday said they would take up weapons to defend themselves if law enforcement agencies failed to end extortion, targeted killings and kidnappings for ransom.

Addressing the business community and media in the presence of Sindh Inspector General of Police Fayyaz Ahmed Leghari at KCCI, former KCCI president Siraj Kassam Teli said he would quit chamber politics for good if the poor law and order situation persisted after Eid.

“Enough is enough. We’ve lost patience with the government as well as the Sindh police,” said Teli, who is also the chairman of the Businessmen Group, whose favoured candidates have won KCCI elections unopposed for many years. KCCI is the largest chamber of commerce and industry in Pakistan with over 18,000 members.

Taking a cue perhaps from the influential gun lobby of the United States, Teli said he was going to ask every businessman to carry arms and be responsible for his own security. “I’m in favour of a free-for-all. A criminal wouldn’t have the courage to pull a gun in a crowded bazaar if no gun rules existed.”

Calling Interior Minister Rehman Malik a “liar,” Teli said the federal and provincial governments, along with the Sindh police, had shown little willingness to curb rising incidents of extortion so far.

Expressing his dismay over the frequent use of unregistered mobile phone SIMs to send death threats to the business community, he accused the federal government of criminal negligence and deliberate ineffectiveness.

Responding to the comments of Teli, Sindh IGP Leghari said the biggest challenge facing the provincial police was extortion. Kidnappings for ransom and street crimes are the next priorities of the police department, he said.

“I’ve proposed that neighbourhood committees should be formed in all markets where members of traders’ associations, in cooperation with police personnel, take care of law and order,” Leghari said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 3rd, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Governor assures traders of support in dealing with extortion</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/413438/governor-assures-traders-of-support-in-dealing-with-extortion</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/413438/governor-assures-traders-of-support-in-dealing-with-extortion#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jul 12 20:46:14 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=413438</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Ebad recognises need for community policing, need to equip police with latest weapons.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan said on Thursday that the government would provide all possible support to the police to help them trace extortionists and other criminals who kidnap people for ransom in the city. He was speaking during a ceremony at which the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) gave 50 mobile vans to the Karachi police.


The vans, which are equipped with tracking equipment, would help police maintain law and order in the city, said Khan. He also appreciated the sacrifices offered by Jawans Khan said that the police department was contemplating purchasing nearly 300 mobile vehicles, and recognised the need to equip the force with state of the art weapons and other equipment. KPT had earlier given 100 vans to the city police.

While talking about criminal activities in the city, the governor admitted that the extortionists had “started challenging the writ of the government.” He also stressed on the need to have community policing to control street crimes in the city. “Criminals were not even afraid of the judiciary earlier, given the frequent acquittals [given by courts] in criminal cases.”

While speaking about local government system which has been the thorn in the sides of the coalition government in the province, Khan said that the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement were holding discussions on the issue, and that they would soon develop a consensus on the system.

75 target killers arrested

Sindh Inspector General Police Fayyaz Leghari said on the occasion that nearly 75 target killers had been arrested in the last few days. He said that some of them were allegedly involved in dozens of murders. He also appeared confident that the police would catch the culprits responsible for the bomb attack outside the Chinese Consulate on July 23.

Meeting the traders

The governor earlier met a delegation of traders that was led by All Karachi Tajir Ittehad president Atiq Mir. Khan informed the traders of the government’s resolve to tackle the menace of extortion. “The concerns of the trading community are genuine and we will address them.”

Khan also said that major markets in the city would be shifted outside, in order to reduce traffic congestion during Ramazan. Karachi commissioner Roshan Ali Shaikh and Atiq Mir were directed to oversee the process.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Extortion?: Construction company's office comes under cracker attack, police denies</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/411584/extortion-construction-companys-office-comes-under-cracker-attack-police-denies</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/411584/extortion-construction-companys-office-comes-under-cracker-attack-police-denies#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 21 Jul 12 19:40:19 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[faraz.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=411584</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Police say no explosive was thrown, rather the tyre of a nearby parked car had burst.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[One person suffered minor injuries and a car was damaged when apparently a cracker exploded outside the office of a local construction company in Defence Housing Society late on Saturday in an apparent warning for not paying extortion money.

Initial reports suggested a cracker had been thrown by two unidentified men outside the office on 26th street, Khayaban-e-Shamsheer injured one passer-by and a car parked nearby.

Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) had reached the spot and were combing the area for signs of any further explosives and the nature of the explosive thrown.

Police had cordoned off the area and were investigating the incident.

However, SP Dr Farrukh said that when the police party reached the spot, they said that they had not found any evidence to suggest an explosive had been thrown and that they had found a man tending to a burst tyre of his car.

Earlier in the day. three people were killed and half a dozen others, including two police officers, were injured during a clash between two groups in Sohrab Goth. The authorities said that the clash took place over a monetary dispute before iftar. As the police got there, the men opened fire at them and injured SHO Sultan Mehsun and SI Ahsan.]]>
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			<title>Busted: Eight extortionists arrested</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/354648/busted-eight-extortionists-arrested</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/354648/busted-eight-extortionists-arrested#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 24 Mar 12 23:40:05 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=354648</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Successful raids were conducted in different parts of Korangi Industrial Area.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Around eight suspected extortionists involved in more than 50 per cent of cases in the city were caught, said the Special Investigation Unit at a press conference on Monday.


The unit’s chief SSP Shahjahan Khan said that they had carried out successful raids in different parts of Korangi Industrial Area to find Rehman Qureshi alias Imran, Abid alias Kallu, Ramiz alias Mullah Qureshi, Mohammad Faisal Qureshi, Mohammad Amir alias Aapa, Shahbaz alias Shera, Shoaib and Saleem. However, their accomplices, who were identified as Bholo Qureshi, Tajuddin, Qadeer and Akbar, managed to escape.

The SIU seized four hand grenades, seven pistols, a Kalashnikov and six kilogrammes of hashish from the suspects. SSP Khan claimed that the extortion group had been operating in New Karachi, Liaquatabad, Orangi Town, Garden, Ramswami, Kharadar and Aram Bagh for seven years.

He said that the group was not affiliated with any political party but was led by Bholo Qureshi. Khan believes that Kallu was Qureshi’s second in command and the gang had killed three people in Karachi, one in Lahore and injured many others.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Ending extortion: Operation will not target one area or group, says Shazia Marri</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/354638/ending-extortion-operation-will-not-target-one-area-or-group-says-shazia-marri</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/354638/ending-extortion-operation-will-not-target-one-area-or-group-says-shazia-marri#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 24 Mar 12 22:43:56 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=354638</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[‘People distributing laptops are the ones responsible for the Kalashnikov and drug culture’.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The operation against extortionists under the directives of President Asif Ali Zardari will not be specific to an area or group, clarified Sindh information minister, Shazia Marri, on Saturday.


Addressing a press conference, she said that not only Lyari, but also all hideouts of extortionists operating in different areas will be targeted. “Action started by the police should not be considered a one-sided operation against an ethnic group,” she said. “We are trying to get rid of criminal elements irrespective of their party affiliation and areas.”

Referring to the orders of President Zardari, she described the operation against extortionists as an indiscriminate action against those who have made the lives of innocent people miserable. The government started the action from Lyari, which is a stronghold of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). “The same action will be replicated in other areas,” she said.

Marri said that extortion is not a new issue but it has been developing over the years. “We appeal to all political forces and other groups to come forward and help the government in eradicating this nuisance.”

She made it clear that no citizen would suffer injustice during the ongoing operation against the criminals, adding that PPP has raised its voice whenever innocent people were affected in the past

The media was also briefed about the ruling party’s performance during the past four years along with the achievements of the Sindh government.

The blame game

Criticising the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) leadership, she said that they were misguiding people through fake promises while condemning the PPP government and leadership.

“It is interesting that the people distributing laptops are those who are responsible for introducing the Kalashnikov and drug culture in the country and are the brainchild of dictator General Ziaul Haq.”

She accused the PML-N leadership of looting and plundering public money and then running off to another country, while leaving other party leaders to face the dire consequences of former military dictator, Pervez Musharraf. “If they [PML-N] were sincere with the people of this country, then they would have spent time in jail instead of escaping with a few suitcases,” Marri said, adding that Pakistanis are aware of those leaders and workers who faced a tough time in prison.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>President chairs meeting over Karachi's extortion problem in Islamabad</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/353624/president-chairs-meeting-over-karachis-extortion-problem-in-islamabad</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/353624/president-chairs-meeting-over-karachis-extortion-problem-in-islamabad#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 22 Mar 12 16:45:56 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=353624</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Zardari directs provincial, federal law enforcement agencies to to take action against culprits.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[President Asif Ali Zardari presided over a meeting on Karachi's law and order situation at the Presidency in Islamabad on Thursday. 

The meeting recognised the problem of extortion in Karachi. The President directed Sindh and federal authorities to book all those involved in extortion and other heinous crimes in the metropolis.

MQM, the government's coalition partner in provincial and national assemblies, along with the city's business community have been protesting against increasing incidents of extortion in Karachi.

Frustrated, MQM had gone as far to boycott the President’s historic joint parliamentary address. Sensing it would be disastrous for the ruling coalition to mark the historic event without one of its biggest coalition partners sitting in the treasury benches, Zardari made an 11th hour phone call to MQM chief Altaf Hussain to reverse that decision.

The President had even tasked Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik to visit the city. The Minister set up special cells among law enforcement agencies in collaboration with the business community to better monitor and tackle extortion.]]>
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			<title>Bhatta mafia: Crackdown against extortionists begins</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/352448/bhatta-mafia-crackdown-against-extortionists-begins</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/352448/bhatta-mafia-crackdown-against-extortionists-begins#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 20 Mar 12 01:23:42 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=352448</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Police, Rangers and FC will launch ‘indiscriminate’ operation: Malik.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Caving in to mounting pressure from a key coalition partner, the government finally decided on Monday to crack down on extortionists (bhatta mafia) in Karachi.


“An operation against extortionists will begin in Karachi before dawn on Tuesday (today),” Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik told a joint news conference with Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan at the Chief Minister House.

“Police, Rangers and Frontier Constabulary will launch the operation, while separate SHOs will be posted in each police station to liaise with the business community,” he added.

Malik said that the Sindh Assembly would soon pass an anti-extortion law which would cover all extortion-related offences.

The draft bill would be unveiled in the next three days.

He said that 10,000 new recruitments would be made in the Sindh police and that the federal government would pay the salaries of half of them.

Assuring the gathering of a resilient crackdown, Malik said the operation would be indiscriminate. “We will take indiscriminate action against extortionists, whoever they may be.”

The Katchi Rabita Committee took exception to the kind of language used by the interior minister against the community. “Rehman Malik is welcome to conduct an operation in Lyari – but he should mind his language,” the committee’s spokesperson, Abdul Karim said.

The Anti-Extortion Joint Task Force will be headed by the provincial police chief. A helicopter will also be at the squad’s disposal. “Intelligence officials will help the law enforcers to trace the criminals,” Rehman said.

The interior minister, who chaired a high-level meeting earlier in the day, said that they have decided to establish police and rangers checkpoints in and around the Lyari neighbourhood. Checkpoints will also be set up in Sherpao Colony, Liaquatabad and Orangi Town.

Malik conceded that some incompetent police officials were giving the force a bad name. “Law-enforcement agencies have been asked to see if these elements are patronising criminals,” he added.

He also admitted that complaints of extortion were genuine. “We do believe some criminals are defaming parties while claiming to be their loyalists,” he added.

Telecom regulations

The interior minister said the government would strictly deal with the offence of using stolen mobile phones, for which punishment would be a 7-year prison sentence. He added that those caught selling or purchasing fake SIMS would be tried under the anti-terrorism act. “It will be a non-bailable offense.”

Malik said that all untraceable SIMS would be blocked. “The Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) will inform ID card holders within three days of SIMS being activated in their names. No SIM will be sold directly from May 1. Instead, purchased SIMS would be mailed to the address mentioned in the ID card of the bearer.”

It will be mandatory for mobile phone operators to inform of the IMEI numbers of the handsets to the PTA to enable law-enforcement agencies to trace stolen phones. “All retailers are to get permission from concerned police stations before opening their shops,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Law enforcers to set up pickets in sensitive areas</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/352319/law-enforcers-to-set-up-pickets-in-sensitive-areas</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/352319/law-enforcers-to-set-up-pickets-in-sensitive-areas#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 20 Mar 12 01:07:26 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=352319</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Agencies to get mobile SIM card locators to control crime.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik has reiterated that the government will improve law and order in Karachi and law-enforcing agencies will set up pickets in sensitive areas where extortion cases are reported regularly.


He was speaking to industrialists at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Monday.

Malik told the audience that law-enforcing agencies would get mobile SIM card locators soon to control the increasing criminal activities with the help of snatched cellphones and unregistered SIM cards.

He said the federal and Sindh governments would each hire 5,000 policemen for the city to overcome the acute shortage of policemen in the financial hub of the country.

The industrialists complained that the government was not taking the law and order situation seriously. There was widespread sense of insecurity among the businessmen, who were facing threats of extortion and kidnapping for ransom.

Accepting one of the top demands of the businessmen, Malik gave directives for opening NADRA and passport counters at the KCCI office for registering businessmen who wanted weapon licences. Speaking on the occasion, former KCCI president Siraj Kassam Teli asked Malik to honour past commitments and improve law and order in the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Insufficient protection: Businessmen exhort Rangers on extortion</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/352291/insufficient-protection-businessmen-exhort-rangers-on-extortion</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/352291/insufficient-protection-businessmen-exhort-rangers-on-extortion#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 19 Mar 12 21:42:19 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Salman Siddiqui]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=352291</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Corporate leaders say the anti-extortion measures adopted after meeting with Gen Kayani have fizzled out.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The business community has expressed displeasure with the performance of Pakistan Rangers in ensuring their safety and security from extortionists in the city.


Although they were assured by Chief of Army Staff General Kayani in a September 21 meeting that all steps would be taken for their protection, the ‘cosmetic measures’ announced have fizzled out in the months since then.

In their meeting with Gen Kayani, the 30-member Karachi-based business delegation made four key demands: a direct hot-line with the DG Rangers Headquarters; a permanent role for Rangers in policing; the establishment of new Rangers pickets at key locations in industrial zones; and certain constitutional changes that would ensure speedy trials of criminals in the courts.

Businessman and senior council member of the Site Association of Trade and Industries, Wahab Lakhani, who attended that meeting on September 21, said that although Rangers had increased their patrolling and established new pickets in his industrial zone almost immediately after the meeting, the steps were rolled back after some time.

“All their efforts have gone into cold storage,” he said, also suggesting there was a dire need for law enforcement authorities to take sustained action against extortionists for at least one whole year.

Lakhani said the Rangers helpline did provide some help, but “one needs a forceful follow-up to the complaint.”

Gen Kayani had instructed the then DG Rangers Ejaz Chaudhry last September to look into the concerns of the business community. Chaudhry has now been posted as the Corp Commander Karachi, while Major General Rizwan Akhtar has taken over as the DG Rangers Sindh.

Mohammad Saleem Farooqi, adviser to the law-and-order sub-committee of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, termed the steps taken by Pakistan Rangers since the meeting with Gen Kayani ‘cosmetic measures’ that did not significantly reduce the threats faced by businessmen from extortionists.

He said Pakistan Rangers were also given a special room at the KCCI building in order to report threats from extortionists more quickly. “However, when one approaches them for help, they almost always say that until their senior officers give them instructions, they can’t move against the extortionist threat,” Farooqi said.

Farooqi, who is also the chief of his own community policing network, said that unless the business community makes a hue and cry, nobody comes forward to solve the problem.

He stressed that Rangers, in coordination with police, must take strict action against extortionists across the board no matter who they are affiliated with.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Rangers spokesperson Major Rizvi said the Rangers helpline established to tackle the threat from extortionists remains functional. “In fact, the response to it has been very good,” he said. However, when asked about the figures on the number of extortionists held and threat cases solved, the spokesperson said he didn’t remember the figures off hand, but insisted there were ‘quite a few’.

Senior Rangers official Brigadier Waseem Ayub said that “just by making a lot of hue and cry [about the extortionist issue] will not solve the problem.” He claimed that the “situation on the ground was quite different from what is being portrayed.”

Sohail Abbas Shah, the additional chief secretary for the home department in Sindh, said the provincial government was doing all it could to deal with the complaints against extortionists. “The business community may have some complaints, but I think we have good liaison with the traders and with their cooperation we are dealing with the threats of extortionists,” he said.

According to Shah, a special anti-extortionist cell was established at the Karachi police’s Central Investigation Agency to deal specifically with this problem. “This cell has received around 15 applications from the traders who reported threats from extortionists,” he said, adding that since investigations were still in progress he could not give details about the cases.

He defended the Inspector General of Sindh Mushtaq Mahar role in controlling crime and said the senior police officer had been meeting traders to sort out their issues.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>The extortion game</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/352115/the-extortion-game</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/352115/the-extortion-game#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 19 Mar 12 17:28:59 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=352115</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The best thing would be if parties purged their ranks of the black sheep involving in the extortion rackets.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Everyone has known for years about the extortion business in Karachi. Traders, businessmen, shopkeepers and even professionals talk openly about the bhatta they need to pay to remain in business. The consequences for those who decline to pay are well known and quite terrifying.

What is more frightening is the fact that political parties from across the country appear to have become involved in the extortion business — using it almost as a kind of officially-sanctioned sideline. The trend has become stronger and stronger over the past few years. Virtually every political party has become involved in the racket. This criminalisation of politics is obviously highly disturbing. How can we expect political leaders to preserve the rule of law, which is rapidly breaking down anyway if they cannot keep themselves away from activity punishable under the law themselves. In fact, because of the role played by the political parties, the ability to place any kind of check on extortion has vanished completely. All we are left with is dramatic gestures and rhetoric of various kinds, such as the protest staged by traders in Karachi a few days ago, and backed by political forces, who rather than stopping extortion had their own agenda in mind.

The best thing, of course, would be if the political parties themselves purged their ranks of the black sheep involving in the extortion rackets. After all, the future of the country’s financial and commercial capital is at stake. If this does not happen, the violence we see will keep becoming worse and worse, as extortionists grow bolder and demand greater and greater sums. The consequence of this — what most of the city’s residents believe — is a complete abdication of its responsibilities. Besides, what can we expect in terms of services from political parties which have lost all conscience and the ability to work within rules for the benefit of people? This simple sense of what is right has broken down completely in Karachi. To make matters worse, the police force, too, has been heavily politicised making things harder for those who wish to see an end to the extortion that is rapidly tearing our business capital apart.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Rehman Malik arrives in Karachi, vows to end extortion</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/352062/rehman-malik-arrives-in-karachi-vows-to-end-extortion</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/352062/rehman-malik-arrives-in-karachi-vows-to-end-extortion#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 19 Mar 12 07:46:46 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=352062</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Interior minister says people of Karachi will see action against the extortionists from today.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[On his arrival in Karachi, Interior Minister Rehman Malik not only vowed to end the practice of extortion in the city, but also issued a warning to the extortionists.

Speaking to the media at Karachi airport, Malik said that the people of Karachi will see action against the extortionists from today (Monday).

“I can’t give any deadline… but I vow that we will get rid of them [extortionists],” said Malik and added that he had come to Karachi on the instructions of President Asif Ali Zardari to provide relief to the citizens.

Later during his visit to the headquarters of Pakistan Coast Guard, the minister said that more than 150 extortionists have already been arrested, while an action has been initiated against those doing illegal businesses of mobile phones.

Illegal SIMs are also being blocked, he added.

Irked by remarks against President Zardari

Rehman Malik, commenting on Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N)’s campaign against President Zardari, appealed to the Supreme Court to take a suo motu action against negative remarks made on the president.

He advised Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to respect President Zardari and ‘control his tongue’ next time he talks about him.

He added that the practice of giving out negative remarks against the judiciary as well as the forces should be prevented.

On deporting Osama bin Laden’s family

The minister said that the decision to deport former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s family – currently being kept in Islamabad – is not in the hands of the government.

He added that only the court can take a decision in this regard.

Bin Laden’s three widows and 11 children were taken into custody last year after the May 2 raid by US navy seals in Abottabad which killed the al Qaeda leader.]]>
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			<title>Police operation: Eight extortionists arrested</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351870/police-operation-eight-extortionists-arrested</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351870/police-operation-eight-extortionists-arrested#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 18 Mar 12 22:39:44 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=351870</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Usually, police arrest people after tracing their calls]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Eight more alleged extortionists were arrested on the second day of the crackdown, on Sunday, against bhatta mafia. It was launched on the orders of Rehman Malik after a Muttahida Qaumi Movement backed strike of the business community on Saturday, when six men were apprehended.

On Sunday, two motorcyclists opened fire at a butcher’s shop in Gol Market, Nazimabad, resulting in injuries to Zubair, after which the shopkeepers blocked the main road in protest. According to them, three days before, the shop’s owner, Naeem Qureshi, refused to pay the extortionists after they sent him a receipt of Rs500,000. But DSP Qudratullah disagreed and said that firing occurred because of a personal dispute and the shopkeepers were distorting facts.

Mohammad Ali, Abdul Jabbar and Qadir Buksh were caught from Gulbai in SITE and three TT pistols were also seized from them. SHO Shafiq Tanoli said that the men used to collect extortion money from factory owners.

Another man, Hameed Baloch, alias Chingari, was arrested by the Napier police and a TT pistol and four cell phones were found on him. According to SHO Imdad Ali he was arrested after a tip-off.

The newly established Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) also claimed to have arrested two men, Sagar and Zahid Hussain, from Bangoria Goth. AEC officials said that they hailed from rural Sindh and South Punjab and have so far collected money from over six people.

Only Qudrat Ali and Zulfiqar were caught red-handed after the police received a complaint. They were trying to extort money from a medical store in Nawab Colony.

Usually, the police arrests people after tracing their calls or when someone files a complaint.

An SP told The Express Tribune that most of the times the suspects turn out to be guilty. But in a few cases they make street criminals appear as extortionists or target killers to release pressure.

“It depends on the situation,” he said. “At times like these we have to leave everything else and catch the extortionists or target killers. It is only a matter of time and things will get back to normal again.”

However, senior police officers said that they can take action only when they are ordered.

They didn’t launch a crackdown before because there were no orders.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Karachi’s extortionists: Get rich or die trying</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351869/karachi%e2%80%99s-extortionists-get-rich-or-die-trying</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351869/karachi%e2%80%99s-extortionists-get-rich-or-die-trying#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 18 Mar 12 22:04:59 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[faraz.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=351869</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Almost all political and nationalist parties are involved in extorting money, say observers.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[“If you want to work in Karachi, you must pay extortionists,” is the pragmatic claim of the 29-year-old man who has been involved in demanding extortion money for a political party for the last three years.


“In our profession, we don’t look at whether we’re strong, but if the other party is able to pay up,” says I*, with a 9mm pistol in hand, as he sits outside his apartment in District East. “This is give and take. No one is doing a favour. We ask for money to spare someone’s life and they pay up for the same reason. It’s a simple formula.”

Becoming an extortionist in Karachi is the easy way out to not just bankrolling a political party’s operations but also to rise in the murky hierarchy of criminal operations in Karachi.

Small-time criminals with no affiliation to gangs or political parties can easily call someone up, say that they are from so-and-so party or gang and make an extortion demand. Their entry into the city’s criminal operations has complicated how extortion works in Karachi, since it has become difficult to identify where the demand is actually coming from.

Instead of relying on other sources, every gang and criminal group in town is extorting money to be able to meet its budgetary needs. Almost all political and nationalist parties are involved in extorting money in Karachi, say observers. By one estimate, over Rs50 million is collected from traders, businessmen, shopkeepers, industrialists, factory owners and construction companies in Karachi, relying on a tried-and-tested formula of blackmail or asking for a ‘donation’ or ‘protection money’ on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

They are assisted by a network of employees, relatives, guards and drivers, and use cell phones, verbal demands conveyed by boys on motorcycles and written slips of papers to convey their calls for money. There is also a system of surveillance in place, so traders are told of where their children go to school and what their family members are up to so that they know that the extortionists are keeping an eye on them.

A*, who works at a textile mill in SITE, is one of the many victims of extortionists.

“I had to stop going to the office for a few days. If I didn’t have anyone to support me I would have gone crazy,” he said.

Extortionists are known to call up traders and industrialists with their demands. While A never paid up, he was convinced that someone from his inner circle had provided his details to criminal groups.

Others have paid up or negotiated the amounts asked for them. According to one account, the amount can be discussed and brought down. Others have just shifted their families to other cities or countries.

Those targeted by extortionists play a cloak-and-dagger game, changing vehicles and cell phone numbers to escape their insistent calls.

The police also help traders deal with extortionists and advise them to negotiate. One industrialist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that he shifted his family abroad because he was convinced that they would always use them as a way to get to his cheque book.

Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan and police officials have said that extortionist groups are not new to Karachi. But while it was once easy to know who was behind that mysterious phone call asking for hundreds of thousands of rupees, Karachi is far more complicated now with the myriad groups operating throughout the city, and those using their names to inspire fear in their victims.

Resistance isn’t a strategy either. Over half a dozen traders in Karachi, especially in the South district, have been killed for refusing to pay up.

Problems have also emerged with different groups battling out for turfs.

Paying extortion doesn’t mean the other group won’t approach you for money, and this has also seen a decrease in share for groups that were traditionally the sole operator in extortion. In some areas, the turfs are neatly demarcated and work with mutual understanding, given the political deals between the groups’ leaders or parties. But with the involvement of criminal groups with no political affiliation, a turf war has emerged and results in a renewal of target-based killings.

But there is no one to turn to. The police have been deemed as being ineffective in dealing with the situation; since it is highly politicised, few traders actually lodge First Information Reports (FIRs) with the city’s cops.

Even with the initiation of an Anti Extortion Cell, few have stepped up to register complaints and prefer to reply on personal connections to rid themselves of the extortionists. Despite the furore over extortion, Karachi police chief Akhtar Hussain Gorchani has only received 15 complaints in 10 days. “I thought extortion had reached a limit but I am confused at the few numbers of complaints received by the Anti Extortion Cell,” he told The Express Tribune. “Either people can’t develop trust in the police or there’s some other reason.”

Crime Investigation Department SSP Fayyaz Khan said that criminal gangs have complicated the city’s situation, since they use the names of influential political parties to back up their demands. He said there is violent retribution for those who refuse to pay up.

This also makes it difficult to estimate how much money is extorted from Karachi, though a source said that at least Rs10.5 million was demanded from the traders on Tariq Road each month. In his testimony to the Supreme Court of Pakistan last August, the DG Rangers said that extortion is a ‘normal practice’ and at least Rs10 million is collected every day, from shopkeepers to the city’s prominent businessmen. The negotiated amount that is paid is far less than what is being demanded.

For complainants who don’t have someone influential backing them up, they can’t find a way to track who has made the extortion demands over the phone. Often, a caller will use a single phone number to dial 20 traders and make demands, but the process of verification is difficult. The police do not appear to have access to trace calls, and requests end up going through several levels, from the SHO to the SSP to the DIG to the additional IG, who will then forward it to the Intelligence Bureau who will ask the Inter-Services Intelligence to help. It can take up to three months to trace calls through the official route, which makes the notion of listing the cell phone numbers being used in complaints useless.

*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals

SOME BHATTA PRONE AREAS (according to police sources):

Gulshan-e-Maymar, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Sacchal, Gadap, Malir, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Bin Qasim, Lyari, Old city areas, Garden, Golimar, Pak Colony, Site, Shershah scrap market, Saddar, Napier Road, Kharadar, Mithadar, New Karachi, Surjani, Ranchore Line, Soldier Bazaar, Shah Faisal Colony, Korangi, Landhi, Kharadar, Liaquatabad, Sohrab Goth, Orangi, Qasba, Banaras, Kati Pahari, SITE, Baldia, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Essa Nagri, Old Sabzi Mandi, Abul Hassan Ispahani Road, Hassan Square, Bahadurabad, Quaidabad, Keamari, Tariq Road, Sharafi Goth, Korangi, Lyari, Kharadar, Mithadar, New Karachi and Quaidabad.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>ANP, MQM-H to form 'grand alliance' to bring peace to Karachi</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351700/anp-mqm-h-to-form-grand-alliance-to-bring-peace-to-karachi</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351700/anp-mqm-h-to-form-grand-alliance-to-bring-peace-to-karachi#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 18 Mar 12 14:43:28 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=351700</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Delegation of grand alliance also expected to meet MQM Chief Altaf Hussain to tackle violence, extortion issue.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[To restore peace in Karachi, Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi (MQM-H) and Awami National Party (ANP) has decided to form a grand alliance.

While speaking at a joint press conference in Islamabad on Sunday, MQM-H chief Afaq Ahmed said a delegation of the grand alliance would also meet Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) chief, Altaf Hussain.

Rejecting the notion that Karachi is facing an ethnic conflict, ANP Senator Zahid Khan said different mafias active in the city were behind the deteriorating situation. Adding to the point, ANP leader Shahi Syed said that he has no links with the extortion mafia or the “bori mafia”.

Protest against extortion

On Saturday, traders and transporters in Karachi and other urban centres of Sindh observed a shutter-down and wheel-jam strike in support of the MQM’s protest against ‘rising incidents of extortion in Karachi. Unlike the past, this time around the strike remained largely peaceful.

The business community also warned that extortion cases have once again started spiralling out of control and if the government does not take action, the situation may worsen like last year’s chaos.]]>
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			<title>The origins of the word bhatta</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351680/the-origins-of-the-word-bhatta</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351680/the-origins-of-the-word-bhatta#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 18 Mar 12 09:30:58 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[mahim.maher]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=351680</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The word ‘bhatta’ originally means ‘boiled rice’.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The word ‘bhatta’ originally means ‘boiled rice’, explains Khaled Ahmed, who is the author of ‘Word for Word: Stories Behind Everyday Words We Use’ (OUP 2010).

Bhaat means rice and it becomes bhatta for boiled rice, which used to be handed out in small amounts, say a handful, with the salaries for the lower servants or staff of a household in the subcontinent. “It meant a little something extra,” he told The Express Tribune on Sunday over the telephone.

Criminals did not start by using the word ‘bhatta’ but used to ask for ‘a little something extra’. In fact, he said, the word bhatta has the original meaning in the official 24-volume Urdu dictionary till today.]]>
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			<title>What has the MQM ‘extorted’ from the govt?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351597/what-has-the-mqm-%e2%80%98extorted%e2%80%99-from-the-govt</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351597/what-has-the-mqm-%e2%80%98extorted%e2%80%99-from-the-govt#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 18 Mar 12 05:23:08 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[nusrat.javeed]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=351597</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The opposition expects the new general election in September/October this year.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[What has the MQM ‘extorted’ from the government for boycotting their threatened boycott?

Until fairly late on Friday night, Syed Khurshid Shah remained busy in desperate negotiations with various leaders of the PML-N. The prime minister had deputed him to ensure order and calm during the delivery of customary annual address to parliament by President Zardari.

Khurshid Shah’s hyper but focused activity looked misplaced to me. After anxiously watching two consecutive sittings of the National Assembly since Wednesday, I rather felt strongly that while delivering the presidential address, Asif Zardari would rather suffer embarrassing sloganeering by his most pampered allies, the MQM legislators.

By suddenly discovering and agitating against the menace of bhattakhori in Karachi, the MQM had been creating raucous scenes both within the National and the Sindh assemblies throughout this week. Taking the lead in noise-making on Friday, Wasim Akhtar, an established hawk of the MQM, had clearly announced that if SOS measures were not taken to address the rampant acts of extortions in Karachi, he and his colleagues would not let the president address the joint sitting.

At the house of a federal minister Friday night, I had a chance meeting with Syed Khurshid Shah. When suggested that instead of focusing on the PML-N, he should also appease the MQM, the crafty Shah from Sukkur kept quiet with a meaningful grin. A former minister, sitting next to him, laughed out loud at my naivety and opened his blackberry to show me a press release duly issued by the president’s office. It announced that Zardari had talked to the MQM leader on phone and had ensured him pulling the law enforcers for stern vigilance and action.  You don’t need to be a disciple of Aristotle to realise that Bhattakhori does not end through phone calls. Something else might have been conceded to pacify the MQM. A veteran legislator from Sindh suspected that the president must have agreed to appoint an MQM nominee as federal minister of housing and works. Faisal Saleh Hayat, the incumbent minister of this portfolio, was also present at the dinner where he said this. After intently listening to suspicions expressed by the veteran politician, the Makhdoom of Shah Jeewna discreetly slipped out. I suspect that Hayat must have left to contact some persons he could trust to double check whether he was being replaced by some MQM nominee. I had no courage to ask him, however, when he returned to join us for the dinner.

While negotiating with Khurshid Shah, the PML-N kept adamantly demanding that at least three of its legislators should be allowed to deliver ‘short speeches,’ before the president. Through these speeches, the PML-N wanted to express concern over the issues of corruption, inflation and mismanagement of various state-run businesses under the command and control of ‘cronies that Zardari has appointed’. The PPP remained sticking to the position that letting some PML-N legislators speak before the presidential address would set a dangerous precedent.

After much haggling, it was eventually decided that after some desk thumping and hooting, the PML-N would walk out of the house. The government wanted them to stage the noise-making show, only for ten minutes. Fifteen minutes was the final deal. It is a different matter that the PML-N stretched them to 20 initial minutes of the president’s speech. I don’t feel motivated to say more on this scripted display of agitation. I am yet to fathom, however, why two known howlers of the PML-N with forceful lungs – Khawaja Saad Rafique and Mohammad Asif – didn’t come to the house, if their party was really committed to make it embarrassingly difficult for President Zardari. Also conspicuous was the absence of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the politically astute leader of another ‘allied partner’ of the Zardari-Gilani government.

For the past two days, wagging tongues have been claiming in conspiratorial whispers that Chaudhry Shaib was working overtime to win the support of Altaf Hussain. Cabinet reshuffle looks imminent to take place in the next few days. Chaudhry Sahib seriously feels that both the MQM and the PML-Q should collectively negotiate to extract those ministries for their nominees that help the incumbents to dole out favours on a mass scale. They can justify the demand for such ministries by referring to the reality that from now on hardcore politicians should focus on consolidating his or her hold over constituencies one expects to get elected from. After all, we are entering the election mode. The opposition expects the new general election in September/October this year. The cool war gamer in Asif Ali Zardari, however, is yet not willing to hold them before March 2013. Who will get his choice of dates for new election is anybody’s guess.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2012. ]]>
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			<title>Traders, transporters strike: Many Sindh cities shut to protest extortion</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351608/traders-transporters-strike-many-sindh-cities-shut-to-protest-extortion</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351608/traders-transporters-strike-many-sindh-cities-shut-to-protest-extortion#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 18 Mar 12 04:53:11 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=351608</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Karachi city presented a deserted look with thin vehicular traffic on the roads.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a key ally of the Pakistan Peoples Party, late Friday night reversed its decision of boycotting the presidential address – it was, perhaps, too late for the party to withdraw its support for a traders’ strike.


On Saturday, traders and transporters in Karachi and other urban centres of Sindh observed a shutter-down and wheel-jam strike in support of the MQM’s protest against ‘rising incidents of extortion in the metropolitan city of Karachi. Unlike the past, this time around the strike remained largely peaceful.

Karachi city presented a deserted look with thin vehicular traffic on the roads, and lawyers also boycotted court proceedings, resulting in the adjournment of scores of cases.

Dozens of traders also staged a rally against ‘Bhatta mafia’. MQM chief Altaf Hussain expressed hope that President Asif Zardari would honour his commitment to crack down on extortionists and criminals.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Traders fear return to 2011 situation</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351539/traders-fear-return-to-2011-situation</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351539/traders-fear-return-to-2011-situation#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 17 Mar 12 22:35:03 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[farhan.zaheer]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=351539</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Army intervention was needed before to control law and order situation.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The business community has warned that extortion cases have once again started spiralling out of control and if the government does not take action, the situation may worsen like last year’s chaos.


The situation in 2011 slipped out of the control of the government and the army had to intervene to contain the rising extortion cases and deteriorating law and order situation.

Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mian Abrar Ahmed said that the chamber has supported all the steps taken by traders to protests against the rising trend of extortion.

Ahmed also said that the government is not paying any heed to our requests to improve law and order. There were some industries that were shut down on Saturday owing to gas load shedding, while few also supported the strike call.

“The problem needs to be contained now otherwise, it may slip from the hands of the government like last year’s havoc in which eventually army chief had to intervene and order rangers to control law and order in the city,” Bin Qasim Association of Trade and Industry patron in-chief Mian Muhammad Ahmed said.

More than 300 people were killed in July 2011 because of violence in the country’s main commercial hub that lasted for at least three months.

“We gave the strike call because extortion has become the single biggest concern of the businesses operating in the financial hub of the country,” said All Karachi Tajir Ittehad Chairman Atiq Mir.

The government unfortunately does not have the technology to detect mobile phones or SIM cards that extortionists use for threats, Mir added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Strike call: Two KU buses come under attack</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351507/strike-call-two-ku-buses-come-under-attack</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351507/strike-call-two-ku-buses-come-under-attack#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 17 Mar 12 22:28:45 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=351507</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The buses came under attack after KU decided to stay open on Saturday.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[At least two point buses of the Karachi University (KU) were attacked on Saturday morning as they went across the city to pick up students and employees. A university official said that windows were smashed and at least two students were injured. KU had announced on Friday that it would remain open on Saturday and that classes would go ahead, even though a province-wide strike against extortion was called.


KU’s transport committee chairman, Zulqarnain Shadab, told The Express Tribune that the attacks were reported from Gulberg and Safoora Chowrangi. “Our bus drivers are experienced so they managed to drive past the men without bearing significant losses.” He added that the men pelted the buses with stones, which could have gone through the windows and hit students.

Numerous university employees and students told The Express Tribune that other buses were also stopped in different parts of the city, including Dawood Chowrangi, Orangi and Shah Faisal colony. These men told drivers to return to the university.

Shadab said that attendance at the university was thin, as many point buses came back empty. “A large number of students also choose to use public transport, but it wasn’t available because of the strike.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Two-way street: Strikes to support MQM and protests to condemn it</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351508/two-way-street-strikes-to-support-mqm-and-protests-to-condemn-it</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351508/two-way-street-strikes-to-support-mqm-and-protests-to-condemn-it#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 17 Mar 12 21:48:01 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=351508</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Traders in Karachi, other cities back anti-extortion position, some towns protest against MQM behaviour in Assembly.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) street power, as witnessed in the Sindh Assembly on Friday, made its presence felt on Saturday as traders across the province shut shop to support the party’s anti-extortion strike.


The initial call to protest was made by the All Karachi Tajir Ittehad and was backed by the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Pakistan and other trade organisations.

Makeshift wickets replaced cars in Karachi’s busiest commercial areas and streets which were usually narrowed by vendors. One of the few places you could see people gathering was the Arambagh furniture market, where the All Karachi Tajir Ittehad (AKTI) was gearing up to protest against the increase in extortion over the last couple of months.

“The government taxes the people. They are supposed to protect the people,” said AKTI’s Ismail Lalpuria. “In Pakistan they tax us but don’t protect us. This is exactly what the extortionists do.”

At 4 pm, around 50 traders draped in black and MQM flags, made their way from Arambagh to Burnes Road. They stopped in front of Fresco Bakery where AKTI’s Atiq Mir spoke. “Today, you can see that when traders join hands with a businessman, no matter how small, they can shut down paan stalls and large departmental stores,” he said.

The traders were chanting slogans against extortionists, the defunct Peoples Amn Committee chief Uzair Baloch and in support of MQM chief Altaf Hussain. Most of the traders were associated with the MQM and non-partisan traders were nowhere in sight.

The protesters also stopped in front of Karachi Press Club where Jamil Paracha, a trader, and MPAs Muqeem Alam and Tahir Qureshi joined the protest. “Where are the people who claim to own the city?” said Paracha. “These landlords and feudals who say that they protect the city are nowhere to be seen when the going gets tough. We can all see which party is willing to sacrifice for the public interest.”

Elsewhere in Sindh

In retaliation to the MQM’s behaviour at the assembly session, where 19 microphones were broken, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and National Peoples Party (NPP) organised a counter-protest against them.

Meanwhile, trade was partially suspended in many districts of Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas, markets in Shaheed Benazirabad, Thatta, Mirpurkhas, Tando Allahyar, Sanghar and Umerkot, were also closed.

Aerial firing was heard outside the MQM’s zonal office in Thatta while PPP and nationalist party workers rallied against the MQM. NPP workers held a protest in Shaheed Benazirabad and condemned the way MPA Arif Mustafa Jatoi was shoved around at the assembly. In Sehwan, people from the Jatoi tribe and Awami Ittehad Party staged a sit-in outside the press club against the MQM.

Most of the markets and businesses in Shikarpur, Moro and Naushero Feroze, which is Jatoi’s hometown, were closed. However, this was not in support of the MQM but against it.

In Khairpur, the police booked seven MQM workers, including the zonal deputy, for forcing traders and shopkeepers to pull their shutters down. Although the main bazaar and business centres were shut down, Sukkur’s biggest meat and vegetable market, Victoria Market, was open. No strike was observed in Ghotki, Jacobabad and Kashmore. In Larkana, the police arrested more than 30 MQM workers for forcing traders to close shop.

Lawyers boycott court

In Karachi, the courts were deserted because of the strike and all cases were adjourned. The authorities did not bring the under-trial prisoners to court either. The lawyers in Khairpur, Sukkur and Larkana did not go to court in protest. They felt that the MQM had violated the sanctity of the Sindh Assembly. While talking to The Express Tribune, the president of the district bar association in Sukkur, Shafqat Raheem, said that he was shocked by the MQM. “If the educated representatives act like this, what can we expect from the illiterate masses?” he said.

with additional information from PPI

Balancing the cheque book

According to Lalpuria, a shutter down strike could easily cause traders a loss of three to four billion rupees. He estimated that extortion in the major markets such as Jamaa Cloth, Eidgah, Urdu Bazaar, Jodia Bazaar, Saddar, Electronic Market and  others would amount to a total of about Rs2.5 million per day but there was no way to verify the figures. The Citizens-Police Liaison Committee claimed that these estimates were just wild guesses.

“The issue we face today is that even owners of small businesses aren’t spared,” said Lalpuria. “One can understand why the owner of a furniture store is being asked to pay but it does not make sense to ask a paan wala for bhatta.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>MQM observes Black Day throughout Sindh</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351321/mqm-businessmen-observe-black-day-throughout-sindh</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351321/mqm-businessmen-observe-black-day-throughout-sindh#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 17 Mar 12 07:11:38 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=351321</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[MQM leader Altaf Hussai­n calls for a peacef­ul protes­t, business community observes strike.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Several cities of Sindh province observed Black Day against extortions and rising crimes on the call of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Express News reported on Saturday.

All businesses as well as transport was halted in the protest backed by the business community of the city. Shops, hotels, petrol pumps and educational institutes also remained closed.

In Karachi, three vehicles were torched by unidentified people in different areas, while aerial firing was observed in Shah Faisal Colony, Orangi Town and other areas.

Rangers and police personnel were deployed to avoid any untoward incident.

Other areas observing the strike include Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, Nawabshah, Tando Allahyar, Thatta, Dhabeji, Gharo and several others. Some tires were reportedly torched in Mirpur Khas.

Altaf Hussain appeals for peaceful protest

MQM leader Altaf Hussain appealed to the sector and unit in-charges as well as party workers to maintain peace during the strike.

Hussain warned that if any worker is found involved in any disorder during the day, his basic membership will be cancelled.]]>
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			<title>It is our responsibility to remove the bhatta mafia, says home minister</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351141/it-is-our-responsibility-to-remove-the-bhatta-mafia-says-home-minister</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351141/it-is-our-responsibility-to-remove-the-bhatta-mafia-says-home-minister#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 17 Mar 12 05:04:10 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=351141</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[10 police stations in Karachi need help in acting against extortionists.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[“The Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) stance aside, it is also our responsibility and mine as the home minister to remove the threats by extortionists,” Manzoor Wassan told the journalists at the Sindh Assembly on Friday afternoon.


The minister was on the defensive after a morning of listening to the provincial leadership of the MQM call on the government to act against the extortionists. “We have helped stop targeted and sectarian killings and we can stop this as well.”

Wassan repeated many of the things said by Inspector General of Sindh Police Mushtaq Shah, who met traders on Thursday. Wassan noted that the government had hired 800 more police officers and will add another 850 constables, who were currently being trained. He has identified 10 police stations, of 110 in Karachi, which need support to act against the extortionists. They include Bahadurabad, Pirabad, Arambagh, Manghopir and Kharadar police stations. The government established Anti-Extortion Cell which has received 15 complaints since it was established.

Wassan also offered examples of how the state of security had improved since he took over as the home minister last July.

But he was also keen to offer a historical perspective. “Extortion isn’t new. It’s been around for the past 20 to 22 years... sometimes it’s less, sometimes it increases.”

The minister said that he had wanted to present on Friday, in the Sindh Assembly, the initiatives being taken by the government to protect traders from extortion threats, but was unable to because the session was adjourned. Two extortionists, Mohammad Saeed and Mohammad Anwar, have been arrested and investigating them will help lead to whoever was behind the operation.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Extortion is a numbers game, as police discover with first arrests</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351139/show-don%e2%80%99t-tell-extortion-is-a-numbers-game-as-police-discover-with-first-arrests</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351139/show-don%e2%80%99t-tell-extortion-is-a-numbers-game-as-police-discover-with-first-arrests#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 17 Mar 12 04:59:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[shaheryar.mirza]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=351139</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[As pressu­re builds on govern­ment, the new anti-extort­ion cell gets to work amid trying condit­ions.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Two men arrested for extortion by a new cell are behind eight of the 15 complaints. This may be too early to predict a trend but for now the police are happy they have something to show. 


“We usually wouldn’t make such a big deal out of just two arrests” said deputy police chief AIG Akhtar Hussain Gorchani, almost apologetically, “but we have to show the traders that we are committed and we want them to trust us.”

What the police wants, it may not get, at least for now. On Friday, the new cell had to hold a press conference to go public on the arrests as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement put pressure on the government for not acting.

“These are the guys who go to the traders and extort money from them but we are confident that we can go up the chain as well,” said DSP Wasif Qureshi, who heads the newly formed Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC). It takes anonymous calls. In addition to the AEC, the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) has received 20 complaints in March (39 in January and 21 in February). “We agree with statements being made that extortion is on the rise and if you look at the numbers in March so far, it is particularly alarming,” said CPLC chief Ahmed Chinoy. Most reports have come from districts east and south.

The criminals use the traditional parchee or paper slip dropped off at the business, but have also started sending text messages to the business owner. “It has become very violent. They are simply killing people who don’t pay up, we have had two deaths because of this recently,” said Mian Abrar Ahmad of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce.

Others send a message to the business by opening fire on the shutters of a store while it is closed or lob a hand grenade at it. Independent criminals with or without links to political parties are at work in this racket but so are criminals who use the names of well known gang leaders and political parties to get the message across.

“Usually someone will call up a trader and start telling him how many kids he has, where they go to school, where their assets are in order to scare them and then they will tell them to have a certain amount of money available by a certain date,” says DSP Wasif Qureshi.

There are varying estimates of how much money is extorted from traders in Karachi on an annual basis but Chinoy says they are at best “wild guesses”.

It doesn’t help that the police do not have legal access to phone records and the way SIM cards are issued is still a leaky process. Much of this would have to be ironed out. In the meantime, DSP Qureshi is still in the process of getting the cell up to full strength. It has about 10 dedicated officers who will need cars and mobile phones. “Right now we are just using the general strength of the SIU for the cell and we don’t work alone,” he said. “Other police stations, SPs and SHOs, all work with us and now that the cell has formed it doesn’t mean that the rest of them don’t have to do their part.” It would help though if more people came forward, as there is strength in numbers.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2012. ]]>
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			<title>Extortion and street crime: MQM puts the squeeze on govt with street muscle</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351132/extortion-and-street-crime-mqm-puts-the-squeeze-on-govt-with-street-muscle</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351132/extortion-and-street-crime-mqm-puts-the-squeeze-on-govt-with-street-muscle#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 17 Mar 12 04:58:25 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Hafeez Tunio]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=351132</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Amid shouting, MPAs break microphones, protest that this city is Altaf Hussain’s.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The curse of the Ides of March came a day late for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), as its coalition partner, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), put on a show of its street power inside the Sindh Assembly.


The hall turned into a veritable political rally. For the first time in four years, the house could not take up its agenda. Nineteen microphones fell victim to the fracas which involved arguments between PPP ministers and MQM representatives, including Nadir Magsi.

After attempts to restore a semblance of order failed, acting Speaker Shehla Raza adjourned the session until Monday, citing the “unruly” attitude of MQM members.

There were scenes to behold. The MQM MPAs, who were protesting against the rise of extortion threats in Karachi, threatened staff for not turning on their microphones, tore up printed copies of the agenda and bent the microphones of lawmakers who had been directed to begin Fateha prayers.

At around 11 am, the MQM MPAs entered the hall and began chanting slogans and held up placards. As the PPP watched, MQM MPAs began thumping their desks and stood on their seats.

MQM’s Raza Haroon said that extortionists had made the lives of the business community miserable in Karachi and they would not tolerate it any longer. “Despite our complaints, some elements are supporting these criminals, giving them a free hand to loot and plunder Karachi’ites,” he said. “We want to tell these criminals who have full backing of jagirdars (feudal lords) that this is Karachi, a city of Altaf bhai,” he added, referring to the MQM’s chief.

“We do not want to divide Sindh. But please do not create conspiracies and consider us third-class citizens. If it continues, the people of Karachi and Altaf bhai will be forced to make a decision.”

In their excitement, one MPA placed a placard on acting Speaker Shehla Raza’s chair but removed it, while Religious Affairs Minister Abdul Haseeb’s frenzied shouting almost caused him to faint.

The MQM demanded Raza take up their points of order but she wanted the Fateha to end first. When she asked PPP MPA Munawar Ali Abbasi to speak, a few MPAs, including Abdul Moeed of the MQM, bent his microphone and asked the staff to turn on theirs. They refused, and later told the media that they had been threatened.

Raza gave up on the prayers and asked Arif Mustafa Jatoi to ask questions but he couldn’t be heard amid the deafening chants. Some protesting MPAs tried to use his microphone and bent it when Jatoi refused.

Raza tried to appeal to MQM parliamentary leader Sardar Ahmed but his silence and the MQM’s refusal to back down led her to end the session for Monday,

While several MPAs filed out, the MQM’s representatives did not leave. Deputy Parliamentary Leader Faisal Subzwari said: “We are elected representatives and it is our duty to raise public issues, but unfortunately we are denied our rights even [here]. Many areas have been turned no-go areas. We will not let crime flourish in the city. Our people will come out to control the situation if government institutions fail to.”

The MQM did not leave the hall, and the staff switched off the lights.

Shazia Marri and Pir Mazharul Haq told reporters that the MQM has to respect the assembly. “This approach ... has really left us wondering,” Marri said, noting that extortion was not new to Karachi. “We know how people snatch sacrificial hides and extort from the business community. Many criminals have been arrested and we are making efforts to get rid of the menace.”

Haq said that if the MQM had concerns it should have contacted the chief minister.

Raza called for a report on the damage. According to sources, the microphones of the secretary and additional secretary along with 17 MPAs, including that on the desk Raza uses when she is not chairing the session, was damaged by the MQM.

Jatoi said his microphone was “smashed to pieces”. He requested that his questions be listed on Monday’s agenda.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>A legitimate demand or open-and-shut case of blackmail?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351218/a-legitimate-demand-or-open-and-shut-case-of-blackmail</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351218/a-legitimate-demand-or-open-and-shut-case-of-blackmail#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 17 Mar 12 04:19:31 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[nusrat.javeed]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=351218</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Although pretending to be sole spokesperson for Karachi, MQM appears to have discovered unbearable limits of crimes.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[After disowning and sacrificing one of his closest and oldest friends, Dr Zulfikar Mirza, President Zardari had surely managed many weeks of smooth sailing with the MQM. For another time, however, relations between two major stakeholders of the power pie in Sindh are getting ominously tense for the past two days. Since the late 1980s, ‘BHATTAKHORI (extortions)’ has almost become a norm in Karachi. There always was a visible method behind this menace and main promoters and protectors of this racket were no strangers to big business. Over the years, street crimes also became a norm in the financial hub of Pakistan and cell-snatching makes no news anymore. Although pretending to be the sole spokesperson for Karachi, the MQM appears to have belatedly discovered the unbearable limits of rampant crimes.

Haider Abbass Rizvi made the first move to build the noisy tempo in the National Assembly on this issue Thursday. After delivering an impassioned speech, he had walked out of the house along with his party legislators. While leaving the house, he also forewarned the government that if immediate steps were not taken to deal with BHATTAKHORI, the MQM might decide to stay out of the joint parliamentary sitting that the President was scheduled to address Saturday.

The day after his walkout, the MQM appeared sadistically determined to disrupt the house proceedings. With passionate pleading, Dr Fehmida Mirza convinced them to let her proceed and dispense with the question hour. After extracting the desired concession, she wisely left the chair to facilitate the MQM legislators to their way. Wasim Akhtar, a vocal and diehard MQM legislator, took the floor to wail over the frighteningly spreading menace of BHATTAKHORI. After doing the usual thing, he did not walk out of the house though. He and his comrades stayed put in the house and didn’t let any legislative business to proceed with spirited sloganeering. Besides condemning BHATTAKHORI, they also kept chanting against the “crime protecting (Sindh) government of the corrupt.” Doing so, none of them cared to recall that since the 2008 elections, the MQM had savoured the status of a pampered ally most of the time.

One was not interested to focus on inherent contradictions. The reporter in me was far more eager to find out the real cause behind the resurrected anger and agitation amongst the MQM legislators and cadres. A few journalists claimed that the MQM is angry, simply because the government seems resisting the proposed induction of Mustafa Kamal in the federal cabinet. I refused to believe the naïve-sounding story. Two ministers, while talking to me separately, also tried to make me believe that the MQM was getting jittery because of the presence of Afaq Ahmad in Islamabad. To some extent, they made sense. After all, Afaq, once a diehard face of the MQM during the chaotic times of the early 1990s, is a bad news for his erstwhile comrades. Zardari-Gilani government may not be relishing an effective control over his ‘real handlers.’

Haider Abbass Rizvi had only hinted at the possibility of MQM legislators’ absence from the joint sitting. Wasim went a step further Thursday. Very clear and categorical he was in telling the government that the MQM legislators would not let the President deliver the annual address to parliament, if SOS measures were not taken against BHATTAKHORI. His threat compels one to feel that this time around the MQM has developed problems with the person, plans or intensions of President Zardari. After desperately searching for the real cause, I also found out that Chaudhry Shujaat Hussien had also gone to London. A reliable source claimed that he had a lengthy meeting with Altaf Hussien and the two held an exhaustive brainstorming session. Sources close to Shujaat told this correspondent that the PML-Q leader sincerely desired that the MQM and the PML-Q should collectively bargain to grab patronage-doling ministries for their nominees to ensure sustaining, if not expanding, their vote banks. The noise-making on BHATTAKHORI clearly reflects a well-thought-out plan to build pressure to extract more space from the Zardari-Gilani government. The stories sound plausible, but they do not tell the whole truth. One has to dig deeper and meet more people in the know to find it.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Businessmen up in arms against extortion</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351097/businessmen-up-in-arms-against-extortion</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351097/businessmen-up-in-arms-against-extortion#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 17 Mar 12 01:01:39 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[farhan.zaheer]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=351097</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Commercial associations issue statements of support for strike.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[In support to the strike call by small traders for today, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and other town associations of the city have said that they back the demands of small traders without formally joining the strike.


“The Saturday strike has been called due to the poor government response in controlling the rising trend of extortion,” said Chairman All Karachi Tajir Ittahad Atiq Mir.

Chairman SITE Association of Trade and Industry Muhammad Irfan Moton said that his association has not announced to support the strike, but its members do think that the reason is well placed.

“Most of our industries do not run on Saturday anyway, owing to the 12-hour gas load management in our industrial area,” he said. This is another reason that few industries will be in production today.

President KCCI Mian Abrar Ahmed said that the leadership of KCCI fully endorses MQM’s viewpoint on rising extortion cases and the deteriorating law and order situation in the financial capital of Pakistan.

“Any action taken in this respect will be appreciated by the Karachi Chamber of Commerce &amp; Industry,” he said. “KCCI supports all steps taken by small traders against the rising cases of extortion in city,” he added.

KCCI says that it sent a SOS letter to the president, prime minister, the governor and chief minister sindh, federal and provincial interior ministers, DG rangers and IG police Sindh, demanding their immediate intervention, but nothing has proved worthwhile.

Small traders lament the killing of several businessmen in recent street crimes in Karachi. Criminal activities in the markets and industrial areas – including extortion (bhatta), kidnapping for ransom and decoities – are spiraling out of control, causing widespread fear in the business community, they say. They have expressed concerns over the prevailing law and order situation in Karachi while criticising the government’s failure to control the situation.

Saturday is expected to be a low business activity day owing to other reasons as well, including the closure of CNG stations and industries in two major industrial zones of the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>President’s speech: After high drama, MQM ‘boycotts’ its boycott</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351207/president%e2%80%99s-speech-after-high-drama-mqm-%e2%80%98boycotts%e2%80%99-its-boycott</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/351207/president%e2%80%99s-speech-after-high-drama-mqm-%e2%80%98boycotts%e2%80%99-its-boycott#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 17 Mar 12 00:45:06 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[qamar.zaman]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=351207</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[No official announcement regarding reversal of decision to boycott joint session of Parliament.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[While the ruling party’s sights would have been set on a possible sabotage by the opposition, the first threat to a historic moment for the president came at the hands of a coalition partner.


However, for yet another time, after high drama, sources said the situation was pulled back from the brink in a manner that has become the hallmark of the president.

After staging strong protests in the Sindh and National assemblies on Friday, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), an ally in the ruling coalition, announced that it will boycott the joint session of Parliament in protest against what it called increasing incidents of extortion in Karachi.

However, according to sources, the party took back its decision in light of assurances given by President Zardari in a phone call to MQM chief Altaf Hussain.

There was no official announcement regarding the reversal of the boycott decision.

The initial decision was made in a joint session of the MQM’s Coordination Committee in London and Karachi.

Late on Friday, however, the president called Altaf Hussain – and assured him that he had taken note of the situation, and had directed Interior Minister Rehman Malik to take action on the matter, sources said. Zardari also assured the MQM leader that he himself would call a meeting to address MQM’s concerns.

Altaf assured President Zardari that his party would support him if he took action against extortionists and criminals in Karachi.

The assurance worked – and, in a late night development, the MQM said that its lawmakers would attend the address, sources added.

The MQM had cited the government’s alleged ‘inaction’ and ‘non-serious attitude’ towards its demands to step up against extortionists in Karachi as the reason for its boycott.

Earlier protests

Earlier the National Assembly witnessed an uproar supporting the MQM’s demands – by both the opposition and the MQM itself. While the government remained silent, refusing to make any contradictory or reconciliatory announcement, the MQM amped up its protest.

“We will not let the president deliver his speech if the government does not take notice of the issue,” warned MQM lawmaker Waseem Akhtar, as angry lawmakers chanted: “stop extortion” and “save Karachi”.

The protests continued for about half an hour after the question hour session till Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi prorogued the house.

“We have approached every responsible person in the government, have given lists of identified criminals but there is no action,” Akhtar claimed.

He added that Karachi was a major contributor to the national exchequer and warned not to ‘expect this contribution’ if things remained unchanged. Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khursheed Shah expressed his bewilderment over the MQM’s protest saying, “I cannot understand against whom you are raising slogans”.

“Everyone knows who is behind extortion in Karachi … we need MQM’s support to curb the menace,” he said while urging the MQM to be realistic.

He also welcomed a suggestion by Sheikh Rohael Asghar of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for the constitution of a committee to probe the matter and report back to the house. “Those (political parties) who are found guilty (of extortion) have no right to be in politics,” he added.

Sardar Mehtab Abbasi from the PML-N said that all coalition partners share the Sindh government but the ruling PPP was mysteriously silent.

Questioning the interior minister’s credibility, Abbasi underlined the need for an ‘operation’ against those involved in extortion, irrespective of their party affiliations.

Advocate Parvez Khan from the Awami National Party (ANP) questioned MQM members, saying, “What steps have you taken to improve the law and order situation of Karachi?”

The MQM had supporters, but some cautious ones.

Sheikh Waqas Akram from the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) was almost prophetic in his support. He sought a commitment from the MQM to not back off under the guise of ‘reconciliation’ with the PPP.

“Do not go for reconciliation with the PPP on extortion the way you have been doing in the past; otherwise we will believe your protests are nothing but a drama,” he said.

MQM’s firestorm of protests resonated in the Sindh Assembly as well, with Friday’s proceedings marred by intense demonstrations on the floor of the house. There were heated arguments between PPP and MQM members, while the latter left their seats, raised slogans and even carried banners in front of the speaker’s dais.

“Despite our complaints, some elements are supporting these criminals, giving them a free hand to loot and plunder Karachi’ites,” said MQM’s Raza Haroon.

“We want to tell these criminals who have the full backing of jagirdars (feudal lords) that this is Karachi, a city of Altaf bhai.”

The MQM also called for a “peaceful protest” in Karachi today (Saturday) against what it terms to be the “autocratic and undemocratic attitude” of the PPP’s representatives in the Sindh Assembly.


(Read: Bhattakhori and forcible conversions on the rise in Sindh)

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Call between leaders: MQM calls off Zardari's parliamentary address boycott</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/350853/mqm-protests-against-extortion-outside-sindh-assembly</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/350853/mqm-protests-against-extortion-outside-sindh-assembly#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 16 Mar 12 06:49:53 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[saba.imtiaz]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=350853</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Rehman Malik directed to travel to Karachi, resolve issues.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[President Asif Ali Zardari, sensing his historic fifth address in the National Assembly was to made meaningless with a major coalition partner boycotting, called Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain late on Friday night. Soon after, MQM decided to call of its boycott, Express News reported.

In a statement issued by MQM, Zardari told Hussain that strict notice of extortion had been taken, and Interior Minister Rehman Malik had been dispatched to Karachi to reslove the matter.

The Muttahid Quami Movement (MQM) had announced on Friday to boycott the joint session of parliament to protest against extortion in Karachi. The decision had been taken during a meeting of the MQM Rabita Committee.

All Private School Management Association has announced that schools will be closed tomorrow. No decision has been taken on government schools.

University of Karachi will remain open tomorrow.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Syed Haider Abbas Rizvi had earlier said that incidents of extortion in Karachi could not be stopped by anyone else but President Asif Ali Zardari.

MQM was protesting today against rising extortion and street crimes in Karachi.

Speaking to the media outside the National Assembly, he said that MQM spoke to every responsible person in the government, including Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah and law enforcement agencies.

“They [extortionists] have held the people of Karachi hostage. Whoever wishes comes to Karachi and loots its citizens. I ask, how long will this go on for?”

“Go and check CPLC records… more than 60 children have been kidnapped for not fulfilling the demands of the extortionists,” he said.

‘After its share in the economy, will bhatta also be taken out from Karachi?’

Accompanying Rizvi outside the National Assembly, MQM MNA Waseem Akhtar said that the biggest contribution in the National Finance Commission (NFC) award is made by Karachi.

“Be it Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa… Karachi makes the largest contribution in NFC award, Karachi makes the biggest share in terms of zakaat collected from across the country… now will they take out bhatta [extortion money] from Karachi as well?”

“We are not threatening; we are just requesting the government to prioritise the masses. Our priority is our vote bank – the people of Karachi,” said Akhtar.

“President Zardari should take this matter seriously and if he doesn’t then it will cost a huge deal to the country.”

He alleged that the government was backing the incidents of extortion in Karachi. “Extortion is being done under the supervision of the government.”

MQM protests outside Sindh Assembly

A protest against rise in extortion and street crime by the MQM was underway outside the Sindh Assembly earlier today. The business community announced during the protest that it will observe a black day on Saturday and businesses will remain closed.

The MQM MPAs joined the protestors after protesting inside the Sindh Assembly.

On an appeal from the party’s coordination committee, people in large numbers gathered for an ‘organised protest’ around the Arts Council round-about near the Sindh Assembly from 9am onwards.

The protestors include MQM supporters, members of the business community and women.

Waving MQM flags, the protestors chanted slogans against the rising extortion in Karachi.

The women present at the protest complained that their husbands were receiving death threats for having declined the demand of giving extortion money. They complained that it is harming their businesses.

Late Thursday night, the party’s chief, Altaf Hussain announced that MQM will take up the matter and that it will not let the people of Karachi remain under the pressure of the extortion mafia.

Subzwari while talking to Express News said that it was the government’s responsibility to end extortion and relieve the people. “If extortionists are roaming around scot-free then there must be some force backing them.”

Earlier on Thursday, MQM walked out of the National Assembly and also threatened that it will boycott the joint session of the Parliament if the government did not take action against extortion and street crimes.

Inside the National Assembly

Members of the MQM also protested inside the National Assembly. Shortly after the question hour session ended, Akhtar said that the Sindh Government had failed to curb extortion in the province.

Akhtar threatened that if the people of Karachi were not given assurance that extortionists will be dealt with an iron hand, then the party will be compelled to “not let tomorrow’s joint session of the parliament happen”.

MQM representatives chanted slogans for more than 10 minutes, which halted the house business.

Inside the Sindh Assembly

Earlier, MQM MPAs were chanting slogans inside the assembly hall, holding placards they demanded an end to support for extortionists and kidnappers.

The session began around 11:35am and was chaired by Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza.

Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan was also inside the assembly but did not speak to the MQM legislators inside the hall.

The MQM legislators began chanting as Deputy Speaker Raza asked for the ritual of fatehas, while Raza was trying to ask the legislators to sit down.

Raza was unable to maintain order and skipped on to the question hour. The legislators surrounded the speaker's table.

An MQM MPA bent MPA Arif Mustafa Jatoi's microphone, who Raza had directed to start asking questions.

Education minister Pir Mazharul Haq spoke to MQM parliamentary leader Sardar Ahmed while the MQM MPAs ripped up the placards.

Raza later adjourned the session to Monday citing the behavior of MQM MPAs.

Subzwari spoke in the hall and reiterated the demands of protection for traders and complained that the MQM was not allowed to raise the issue in the assembly shortly after which the assembly's lights were switched off.

While speaking to the protestors outside the Sindh Assembly, Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan said that such events never occurred in the assembly before and regretted what happened. When asked if the coalition would break up, Wassan said that the MQM “has to stay with us”.

Wassan said that around 800 police officials were deployed in different areas of the city to prevent incidents of extortion and street crimes.

He said that the government’s mandate was to take action against the recurring incidents of crime. Wassan said that it was Sindh government’s responsibility to provide protection to the business community and that President Asif Ali Zardari had also given directives in this regard.

Citing government’s role in maintaining a stable security situation in Karachi, he said that over the last two years, police have recovered a large number of arms and foiled many terror acts.

Meanwhile, MQM leader Faisal Subzwari said that MQM will raise its voice at every available legal and democratic forum. He said that if the law enforcement agencies, who say that they cannot “access” certain areas keep saying this then the people of Karachi will come out on the roads and barge into those areas to control the situation on their own.

He said that MQM was a common man’s party. “We cannot let it go on like it’s been happening. Extortionists are at large, kidnappers are at large. MQM is with every citizen of Pakistan who wants it to be a crime-free country.”]]>
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			<title>National Assembly: MNAs demand legislation to end forced conversions</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/350710/national-assembly-mnas-demand-legislation-to-end-forced-conversions</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/350710/national-assembly-mnas-demand-legislation-to-end-forced-conversions#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 16 Mar 12 05:12:08 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[MQM stages walkout in protest against extortion cases in Karachi.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The state of minorities in the country seemed bleaker than the state of the union on Thursday. Minority rights took up a major chunk of the National Assembly proceedings as Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA Dr Azra Fazl made startling revelations about how Hindu girls were being forcibly held in various madrassas in Sindh, only to be forced to marry into Islam upon their release.


The PPP MNA made the shocking revelations while discussing the case of Faryal Shah (Rinkle Kumari), who was allegedly abducted and later forced to marry and convert to Islam in Sindh, earlier this month. Speaking on the point of order, the PPP leader pleaded to fellow parliamentarians to enact legislation to protect minority rights and end forced conversions.

“Minorities are being forced to leave Pakistan --- their daughters should enjoy same respect as ours do.”

Fazl, who is also the sister of President Asif Ali Zardari, highlighted the issue in Parliament coincidently after the president himself received a sharply worded letter from California Congressman Brad Sherman regarding the Faryal Shah case. The congressman urged the president to ensure the safe return of Faryal to her family as reports had pointed out that she had been abducted with the help of a PPP lawmaker.

The PPP leader picked an opportune moment to take up the cause of minorities in Pakistan as a non-governmental organisation also revealed that over 568 FIRs for forced marriages had been lodged last year in 40 districts of Pakistan with a majority of the cases filed in Sindh. According to a report compiled by the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen), around 255 FIRs for assault or rape had been registered in 35 districts; another 173 for rape in 40 districts and 60 for offences related to marriage filed in nine districts.

Nafeesa Shah, another PPP MNA from Sindh, also endorsed her colleague’s push for minority rights, adding that the Parliament should introduce legislation on forced conversions. Non-Muslims were being forced to accept Islam as reported by the media, she observed.

“Protection of the minorities should be ensured as it is enshrined in the Constitution.”

PPP MNA Mian Abdul Haq also informed the House that over 15 to 20 Hindu girls were forced to marry Muslim men and later asked to embrace Islam.

“This kind of act is stigma on our [Muslims’] face,” Haq added.

MNA Justice Fakharun Nisa stressed on the implementation of laws to solve the issue of minorities, adding that minority rights had to be protected at all cost.

Majority of the lawmakers, including minority leaders Lal Chand and Mehish Kumar, expressed concerns over the kidnappings and forced conversions of Hindu girls.

Presenting a policy statement on floor of the House, minister of state for interfaith harmony and minorities affairs, Akram Masih Gill, said that the current government had taken unprecedented steps for the uplift and empowerment of minorities, including the fixation of a 5% quota in government jobs and the declaration of August 11 as ‘Minorities Day’ while Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Shahnaz Wazir Ali said that under the 18th Amendment, four seats had been reserved for minorities in the Upper House.

Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Dr Araish Kumar contributed to the debate, informing the Parliament that minorities were being forced to take up Islamic studies in schools.

“Our students are being forced to read Islamiat in government schools,” Kumar said, adding “if they refuse to study Islamic studies, they are struck off by the school administration.”

MQM threat 

Meanwhile, in protest against the rise in extortion and target killings in Karachi, Pakistan Peoples Party’s key coalition partner -- Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) walked out of the National Assembly on Thursday.

The party also went as far as to announce that it may boycott the joint session of Parliament on Saturday, which is going to be addressed by President Asif Ali Zardari.

Speaking on the point of order, MQM Leader Haider Abbass Rizvi said his party may not attend the joint session of Parliament if PPP doesn’t curb extortion and street crime in Karachi.

Transgenders enrolled for elections

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Maula Bux Chandio informed the National Assembly on Thursday that a total number of 782 transgenders have been enrolled with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the upcoming general elections.

Transgenders, for the first time, will not only be able to exercise the rights to cast their votes but also be able to contest elections, Chandio told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Bhattakhori and forcible conversions on the rise in Sindh</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/350769/bhattakhori-and-forcible-conversions-on-the-rise-in-sindh</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/350769/bhattakhori-and-forcible-conversions-on-the-rise-in-sindh#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 16 Mar 12 05:08:19 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[Haider Abbass Rizvi of MQM felt no qualms while taking the floor immediately after completion of the question hour.]]>
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				<![CDATA[In our God-given Republic, politicians often tend to act strange and Thursday’s proceedings of the National Assembly fully reflected their inherent inanities.

Law and order, to begin with, is an issue that the provincial government is exclusively responsible for. There supposedly is a democratically elected government “functioning” in the province of Sindh as well.

Although after returning to the provincial assembly with a clear majority in 2008, the PPP preferred to form a coalition government with full participation of the MQM nominees. This was done to provide visible content to much trumpeted notion of ‘national reconciliation’ and to ensure smooth relations between the so-called urban and rural stakeholders of the power pie.

Conveniently disregarding the abovementioned facts, Haider Abbass Rizvi of the MQM felt no qualms while taking the floor immediately after completion of the question hour. “The masses of Karachi residents are feeling depressed and besieged these days. As if electricity and gas load shedding were not enough to make their lives miserable, street crimes have turned rampant to force them to remain confined to their homes. Far more serious than frequent mobile snatching is the recent trend of ‘BHATTAKHORI (extortion)’. With reckless immunity, criminal gangs are targeting even mid-level traders to collect protection money,” he wailed and wailed.

He finished the speech by forewarning the government that in case immediate and visible steps were not taken to improve the situation, the MQM legislators would boycott the joint parliamentary sitting that President Asif Ali Zardari is scheduled to address on March 17. Just to show that he had not made an empty threat, Rizvi also walked out of the house. All MQM legislators followed him by aggressively chanting slogans against ‘BHATTAKHORI.’. No one from the ruling party made any serious attempt to bring them back. Dealing with the MQM has obviously been ‘outsourced’ to the interior minister by Zardari-Gilani government and Rehman Malik was not around.

Far more pathetic than the conduct of MQM legislators remained the behavior of a few ruling party MNAs. Dr Lal Chand, a Hindu representative from Sindh, triggered another controversy. It related to the alleged kidnapping and ‘forcible conversion’ to Islam by Ms Rinkle Kumari. The vocal segments of the Hindu community had been flooding various social sites with claims that Rinkle was lured to elope by a Muslim tailor. Both ended up at the shrine of Bharchoondi Sharif in Gothki district. Mian Abdul Haq alias Mian Mithoo is the custodian of this shrine and he also happens to be a PPP MNA from that area. He is alleged to have “facilitated the conversion and eventual marriage” of Rinkle and ‘protected’ her from her family and community. After much noise making, the Sindh High Court took up the matter, suo motu, and the girl was sent to a government-run shelter to make a final decision about her life in protected isolation.

Lal Chand and the minority MNAs following him continued to claim, however, that Rinkle was denied the required isolation and disconnect from conflicting pressure groups. They kept insisting that the DPO of Ghotki had visited her Wednesday, ostensibly to “force her to stay firm with her conversion and the decision of marrying a Muslim”

The controversy could have ended there without much ado. But then Dr Azra, sister of President Zardari, stood up. In a choked tone, she confirmed that minority members were not so wrong in feeling insecure living in Sindh these days. She was fully supported by Nafisa Shah. Sitting in the gallery, I could just not fathom why these two noble-hearts were feeling so helpless. If Azra’s brother, President Asif, and Nafisa’s father Sindh chief minister Qaim Ali Shah couldn’t instill the feeling of security amongst the Hindus of Sindh, who else could?

Mithoo, the custodian of Shrine, was present in the house. Initially, he tried to act deaf. Then he resorted to non-verbal bullying by aggressive posturing and finally took the floor to tell his side of the story. He claimed that before welcoming Ms Rinkle to the fold of Islam, he tried hard to talk to her father and various community leaders of Hindus. No one cared.

Telling his side of the story was not his priority, however. He insisted that some “foreign funded NGOs were trying to scandalise the conversion of Rinkle to malign Islam.” Too ominous he sounded while forewarning his PPP colleagues that by racking up the issue they were “annoying and alienating their voters in Sindh, who after all hailed from the Muslim majority.” No one dared to confront Mithoo after his speech. With a proud grin, he got away with his version and forewarnings.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Extortionist: Five shopkeepers are injured</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/350597/extortionist-five-shopkeepers-are-injured</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/350597/extortionist-five-shopkeepers-are-injured#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 15 Mar 12 23:38:26 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[two robbers came on a motorcycle and started firing at people after shop owner Fareed refused to pay for extortion.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Shops in Quaid-e-Azam colony were closed and their owners protested on nearby streets after firing took place in the area earlier on Thursday.


According to sources, two robbers came on a motorcycle and started firing at people after jewelry shop owner Fareed refused to pay them money for extortion. Five shopkeepers were injured, including Fareed, 12-year-old Musawer Khan, Ghulam Anwar, Abdullah and Dilshad. They were sent to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where they were said to be in stable condition.

A police team reached the spot and assured the shopkeepers of their cooperation. The protesters then dispersed peacefully.

However, police later said that the culprits were not extortionists but robbers who started to fire when they were thwarted by Fareed and other shopkeepers.

SHO Khan Mohammad Sheikh said that Fareed had earlier informed the police that robbers had entered his shop, but later on he and other shop owners started saying that the two suspects were extortionists.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>MQM to agitate against extortionists, feudal patrons</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/350805/mqm-to-agitate-against-extortionists-feudal-patrons</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/350805/mqm-to-agitate-against-extortionists-feudal-patrons#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 15 Mar 12 22:49:07 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=350805</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[MQM will stage an agitation outside the Sindh Assembly on Friday.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has decided to stage protests inside and outside the Sindh Assembly on Friday against extortion, a statement issued late on Thursday read.

The MQM had called an emergency meeting of its cooridnation committees in Karachi and London in which they decided to agitate against extortionist mafia, who, the MQM alleged, had patrons amongst some of the feudal lords in Sindh. Some of these feudals, they claimed, sat in the Sindh Assembly.

The statement read that while the MQM was demonstrating restraint on the orders of party leader Altaf Hussain, otherwise, they warned, that they could very well handle the situation on their own.

Accusing some members of the Sindh Assembly as treating the coalition as they way ground, MQM warned that this practice must be desisted, otherwise they could withdraw from the assembly.

It also invited the public to join their agitation against extortion on Friday.]]>
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			<title>Extortion in Karachi: MQM threatens boycott as govt not serious about crisis</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/350594/extortion-in-karachi-mqm-threatens-boycott-as-govt-not-serious-about-crisis</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/350594/extortion-in-karachi-mqm-threatens-boycott-as-govt-not-serious-about-crisis#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 15 Mar 12 21:04:02 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=350594</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[15 complaints lodged at cell in four days but traders say no action taken yet.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Karachi is fed up of being held for ransom to extortionists. Matters came to a head on Thursday with the government’s key coalition partner threatening to boycott the president’s Saturday address to parliament. Businessmen are so fed up of the inefficiency of the police and Sindh government that they have begged the head of an intelligence agency to step in.


The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) made itself heard loud and clear with its legislator Haider Abbas Rizvi saying that they would boycott the president’s address if something is not done. President Asif Ali Zardari is scheduled to address the joint session at the beginning of the new parliamentary year.

The MQM’s announcement came hours after the Sindh police chief, Mushtaq Shah, dismissed the uproar over street crime and extortion, saying that it was not out of the ordinary for a big city like Karachi. His offer to traders to post 800 more policemen in badly hit areas was met with little faith.

The MQM retorted that Karachi was the country’s economic bloodline – out of every Rs100 made, Karachi contributes Rs70. MQM’s Haider Abbas Rizvi spoke of the extent of the damage being done as businessmen are taking their business abroad. “They are receiving death threats and threats that their children will be abducted,” Rizvi said. “It seems [like] it is all by design and planned – as if the police in the areas where such incidents are rampant are deployed on the will of the extortionists.” He specifically mentioned Karachi’s biggest flea market in Sher Shah where he said that more than 6,000 shops are stripped of Rs600, 000 every day.

Rizvi was candid that his party may not attend the joint session until the PPP hems in extortion and street crime in Karachi, the country’s industrial hub. “Although we are a part of the coalition government, we cannot forget the support that the people of Karachi have given us by voting for us all these years,” he said outside later on. “We will raise our voice for their protection and also call for a peaceful protest.”

Until the government controls the security situation in Karachi, the party will stage a walk-out every day. For starters, the MQM legislators staged a walkout on Thursday that lasted an hour and 10 minutes. Rizvi said that even though Interior Minister Rehman Malik had announced that they had set up check posts, the situation was just getting worse. Rizvi added that if extortion and target killing were not reduced, his party might boycott the upcoming joint parliamentary session as well.

It is a measure of the complete lack of faith in the police and Sindh government that businessmen went to the chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt-Gen Zaheerul Islam, to complain about extortion and threats. In fact, they asked him this week to set up a cell at the intelligence agency’s Karachi office where the government plans to install a locator.

Sources said that the newly appointed DG, who was the corps commander of Karachi during its blood summer of 2011, assured the delegation they would completely support the police and Rangers.

Mian Zahid Hussain of the All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Zafar Iqbal of DHA Residents Society and Mehtabuddin Chawla were part of the delegation.

Zahid told The Express Tribune that they reminded the DG of orders issued by the Chief of Army Staff regarding a cell against extortion. “We held a meeting with General Kayani in September and he assured us that a cell would be set up at the ISI office if government installs a mobile phone locator,” he said.

Zahid said that all federal ministers, including Asim Hussain, Rehman Malik and the governor had promised this would happen. The mobile phone tracker costs Rs50 million. But he said that the business community pays around two billion rupees in taxes every day and the government was not doing anything to keep it safe.

Extortion cell

Earlier, angry traders met Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mushtaq Shah in Karachi as these developments unfolded in the capital. He told them that he had added 800 more policemen to the force in a bid to control extortion and street crime.

But they did not seem to be convinced. Karachi’s marble association announced it was going on strike for an unspecified time from Saturday over extortion. Marble Exporter Association’s Sanaullah Khan who met the IGP told The Express Tribune said that marble traders do not trust the police. “They are not worried one bit about us,” he said. “We were not satisfied by their promises. We’ll take back the call for a strike only if things change by Saturday.”

The anti-extortion cell has received 15 complaints since it was set up. Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) chief DSP Wasif Qureshi told The Express Tribune that the cell received complaints in four days from different markets or associations. “It has just been four days since we got to work,” he said. “I hope that now those who have not stepped forward will come to us.”

It did not help that the IG played down street crime. There is no significant difference between old and new crime data, he said at the Garden police headquarters after attending the funeral for a constable who was killed in a shoot-out with robbers on Burnes Road early Thursday. He said the police’s arrests were proof of its performance.

SITE Association chairman Mohammad Irfan Moton flatly disagreed. He told The Express Tribune that there had been no progress in the police’s performance in the area with 3,500 factories. “Each day thousands of people risk their lives and come to work here and risk their lives going back,” he said. “But instead of things getting better they just keep getting worse.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>MQM walks out of National Assembly over Karachi's growing extortion</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/350409/mqm-walks-out-of-national-assembly-over-karachis-growing-extortion</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/350409/mqm-walks-out-of-national-assembly-over-karachis-growing-extortion#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 15 Mar 12 07:44:40 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[sidrah.moiz]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Haider Abbas says if incidents of extortion not curbed, MQM might boycott upcoming joint parliamentary session.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[In a protest against rise in extortion and target killing in Karachi, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Thursday walked out of the National Assembly.

Speaking to the media outside the assembly, MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi said that if incidents of extortion and target killing are not curbed, his party might as well boycott the upcoming joint parliamentary session on March 17.

“Although we are a part of the coalition government, but we cannot forget the support that the people of Karachi have extended to us [MQM] by voting for us all these years,” he said. “We will raise our voice for their protection and also call for a peaceful protest.”

“Until and unless the government controls the deteriorating security situation in Karachi, we will stage a walk-out every day.”

He said that businessmen were shifting their businesses abroad from Karachi amid rising tensions in the city. “They are receiving death threats and threats that their children will be abducted.”

“It seems as if it is all by design and planned – as if the police officials in the areas where such incidents are rampant are deployed on the will of the extortionists,” said Rizvi.

“Karachi’s biggest flea market in Sher Shah which has more than 6,000 shops are stripped of Rs600,000 every day,” said the MQM leader. “[Interior Minister] Rehman Malik had announced for the establishment of police check posts in the area. In the check posts, you don’t find a single police official, but the vacant check posts are inhabited by dogs and druggies.”

Rizvi said that Karachi is the economic hub of Pakistan. “If Pakistan has Rs100, then Rs70 are contributed by Karachi. If such a situation prevails, then Karachi’s businesses will not be able to flourish and this will result in the downfall of Pakistan’s economy.”

He said that the extortionists have shaped into an industry. “MQM contacted police, brought it in the notice of President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah. We [MQM] have raised our voice against the growing extortion in Karachi.”

He added that the jewelry, iron, timber, marble and travel industries were the most threatened, while small and medium enterprises were also targeted.]]>
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			<title>Resisting extortion: Woman injured in grenade attack at car dealer's home</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/348569/resisting-extortion-woman-injured-in-grenade-attack</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/348569/resisting-extortion-woman-injured-in-grenade-attack#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 11 Mar 12 15:46:50 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[owais.jafri]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Police begin probe as FIR registered against alleged extortionist.]]>
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				<![CDATA[A grenade attack on a car dealer’s residence in Dera Ghazi Khan injured a woman and damaged two cars parked inside the house. According to the car dealer Mohammad Ayube, the attack was carried out by extortionists who he had refused to pay.

According to sources, the house, located in Jamal-e-Sarwar colony near Saddar Police Station, was attacked early morning on Sunday.

Police immediately reached the site of attack. Ayube claimed that the attack was carried out by one Javed Lashari, who had made an extortion call a few days back, asking for Rs500,000, and threatening of an attack with a 5-kg bomb if he refused to pay.

Ayube said he did not take the threat seriously until the attack on his residence.

An FIR has been registered against Lashari at Saddar Police Station and investigations have begun.

Meanwhile the DG Khan Car Dealers Association held a protest against the police for failing to control deteriorating law and order situation in the area.

The local traders' union and chamber of commerce and industry condemned the incident and demanded immediate arrest of the alleged culprit.]]>
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			<title>Full circle: Killings, extortion are back</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/348355/full-circle-killings-extortion-are-back</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/348355/full-circle-killings-extortion-are-back#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 11 Mar 12 03:14:58 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Manzoor Wassan, Farooq Sattar offer few solutions, but ask public to step forward.]]>
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				<![CDATA[After a lull, there has been an uptick in target killings and extortion, said Manzoor Wassan and Farooq Sattar at a joint press conference on Saturday.


“Forget America or England, people are now going to Kenya with their capital because they can’t do business here,” remarked Sattar, who is the minister for overseas Pakistanis. He was referring to the burgeoning extortion racket in Karachi. “If capital continues to flow out of the country, then it will increase unemployment which could lead to many more issues,” he warned.

The two ministers held the press conference after meeting law enforcement and businesses. “The months of September through January we managed to reduce target killings and sectarian killings but recently we have seen a reemergence,” said Home Minister Wassan. The extortion slips are resurfacing.

They identified NA-252 and NA-249 and specifically Kharadar, Mithadar, Timber Market, Jodia Bazaar, Eidgah, PIB, Bahadurabad as hotspots.

An anti-extortion cell was set up in the Crime Investigation Agency and another under the Rangers. They will be working closely with traders to open lines of communication so that complaints can be heard and acted on. Sattar added that it was important for the public to do its part by forming committees with the SSPs in their neighbourhood police stations to help with intelligence gathering. A major problem with this sort of cooperation between the police and informants or just the general public is that the public fears retribution from criminal gangs. No witness protection programme exists even though the government says it is working on one.

“Regardless of a witness protection bill, we have made it so that people who want to give information to the police can do it completely anonymously over the phone if they wish,” said Sattar.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik is also being consulted on a strategy to help track down criminals who extort traders over the phone. Their calls need to be traced and the process for acquiring a SIM card needs to have more stringent checks.

The security agencies are monitoring different roads to see how criminals enter markets. The mobility of the police in sensitive areas is another issue that the home ministry says it is working on.

Wassan said that he was strengthening the police force but he didn’t give any specifics.

Responding to a question about political patronage for extortionists, Sattar offered a vague explanation by saying, “any black sheep found in political parties will be exposed.”

Even though parties have urged that Karachi be cleaned of weapons, no plan drafted by them or the government has seen the light of day. Despite restrictions on the display of arms, men still roam around with them clearly visible.

“There are still restrictions on the display of arms but we eased it because innocent people who have licences and keep guns for protection go through a lot of trouble when they are checked at every check point,” said Wassan.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>MQM, Manzoor Wassan resolve to end extortion in Karachi</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/348171/mqm-manzoor-wassan-resolve-to-end-extortion-in-karachi</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/348171/mqm-manzoor-wassan-resolve-to-end-extortion-in-karachi#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 10 Mar 12 11:00:03 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[MQM leader Farooq Sattar briefs media on how the party is trying to end extortions, kidnappings in Karachi.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leaders met with Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan in Karachi on Saturday to discuss measures to effectively tackle the issues of extortionand kidnappings.

MQM leader Farooq Sattar, while talking to the media after the meeting, said that they have started off with two constituencies – NA-249 and NA-252 – and have called the business representatives of these areas to discuss the matters.

“Business life has been crippled… action should be taken against them [miscreants],” said Sattar.

He added that not only the police and Rangers will assist the business community in helping to get rid of the extortionists and kidnappers, but committees will also be formulated from among the common men to reduce the street crimes.

“The black sheep involved in such acts should be exposed,” he added.]]>
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