While the spate of targeted killings in Karachi have made front-page news for months, Sindh’s elected representatives chose to have a debate on the province’s law and order instead of focusing on a city that frequently goes up in flames.
Differences between lawmakers of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and its coalition partners emerged again on Tuesday when MPA and Sindh Culture Minister Sassui Palijo backed the call for a debate on Karachi.
Marvi Rashdi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional moved an adjournment motion for a debate on the recent wave of targeted killings.
But Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) MPA Raza Haroon objected, saying that it was unfair to single out Karachi. They suggested that there should be an adjournment motion to discuss the state of law and order in the province.
“Everyday many people die in ongoing tribal clashes and other incidents in upper Sindh,” Haroon said. “Kidnapping for ransom is on the rise and many cases have been reported from Larkana, Shikarpur and Sukkur. Why are you only focusing on killings in Karachi?”
Rashdi’s motion stated that “since the onset of democracy in 2008, Karachi is in the grip of targeted shootings taking the lives of hundreds of innocent citizens.”
She said that the government’s writ was being challenged by a ‘handful of miscreants’ and it has failed to control the situation.
The debate was initially agreed on by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ayaz Soomro and Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wasan as well as other PPP MPAs. Speaker Nisar Khuhro was set to ask for the assembly to vote when Haroon threw a spanner in the works.
“Not only target killings in Karachi, but we should also discuss the land mafia, drug mafia, and extortion money being collected by gangsters. We should focus on the law and order situation in the whole province,” he said.
The PPP instantly took the hint. Khuhro agreed that the law and order situation in the province should be debated, but Palijo begged to differ.
“The situation is totally different in Karachi and other districts of Sindh,” she said. “Twenty to thirty people are not killed in rural areas within minutes. Life is paralysed in Karachi when violence starts. We should not generalise other issues of Sindh with target killings in Karachi. The adjournment is specific and a debate should be initiated on it.”
Senior Minister for Education and Literacy Pir Mazharul Haq went a step further, claiming that some people want publicity by highlighting such issues. “It is very unfortunate that leaders of the PML-F are getting the benefit of the treasury and the opposition. They are enjoying the ministries and also playing the role of the opposition. If they are so concerned about the issues of Sindh, they should come forward and join the opposition party,” he added.
Rashdi’s motion to discuss Karachi didn’t get enough votes, but in a telling move, PPP’s Palijo joined PML-F’s Jam Madad Ali and Marvi Rashdi and Arif Mustafa Jatoi of the National Peoples Party in voting for the motion.
A second motion to discuss the law and order situation in Sindh was passed by a majority of votes. The debate is scheduled for April 26.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 25th, 2012.
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MQM always protests on target killings of their workers and extortion being collected from business community. One fails to understand why the party leaders turned down the plea to take up the Karachi violence issue at the floor of provincial assembly. What does it give message? Very curious about it!!
clearly evident to all what is going on now in the city and if the politicos were truly WISHING for peace to prevail .... they would have done the debate. what has karachi got to do with larkana or hydreabad or thatta other than being in the province.... how many of those present in the hall ACTUALLY LIVE OUT SIDE KARACHI.... what a shame