KARACHI:
The parts of the city plagued by target killings have been declared ‘red zones’ and midnight operations would be started from Monday night to ferret out the men behind them.
Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik held a joint press conference after they met to discuss the law and order in Karachi at CM House on Monday.
Journalists brought up the tricky question of why the federal minister always has to step in on these provincial affairs - especially with all the stress on provincial autonomy. Malik replied that as the federal interior minister, it was his duty to hold meetings on law and order. “I have come here on the directives of the prime minister,” he added.
Shah pitched in with support for Malik as well, saying that Malik was not interfering in the Sindh government’s affairs but was acting as a “coordinator between the federal government, its agencies and the Sindh government”.
At least 154 people have been killed in Karachi this month but out of these, only 43 were target killings. The other murders were personal, said the ministers.
Meanwhile, the law-enforcement agencies arrested 11 alleged target killers, who claim to be affiliated with several political parties. “A few of them are serial killers, who have confessed to have killed more than a hundred people. Their complete details will be given shortly,” Malik said.
He admitted that there were “black sheep” in political parties, who create “law and order situations” in the city. “I request the parties and their leaders to get rid of these criminals,” he advised.
A joint interrogation team has started investigations and on the information provided by the arrested target killers, operations would be carried out in red zones as well as other areas of the city.
Malik said that the recent killing spree started around March 10 but most of these victims were killed over property or other personal disputes.
The media was given its usual share of blame. “The media is exaggerating the situation by portraying Karachi as if it is Beirut. Every murder in the city is not a target killing. I appeal to journalists and media groups to please verify the news from different sources before reporting it,” he said.
The federal minister maintained that he had been “patrolling” the city since Sunday night and things were back to normal. Even then, the TV channels were reporting target killings, he added.
To a question on the defunct Peoples Amn Committee (PAC), Malik said that a “few criminals” were present among the ranks of the PAC and action was being taken against them. “No party is exempt from this menace. We will take action against every criminal irrespective of their party affiliations,” he promised.
Malik said that it was only the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) that talked against the Taliban and other elements involved in terrorism. “Overall, the situation in the country is better now as the government has controlled the insurgency. This can be gauged by the fact that there have not been any explosions recently,” he maintained.
Earlier on, the chief minister briefed the media on law and order and said that he could not disclose the names of the people arrested in connection with the target killings. “We cannot disclose the identity of the suspects at this moment because then they will say that their people are being arrested by the police and Rangers,” he said, without explaining who ‘they’ are.
He added that the intelligence agencies, police and Rangers have identified a number of criminal groups and they have been directed to proceed against these gangs.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 29th, 2011.
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