As residents struggled to find petrol to attend to urgent needs during the shutdown on Saturday, several Sindh Assembly MPAs felt that closing the city does not achieve anything and this practice should be discouraged. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Mourning the killing of Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPA, a majority of Sindh legislators said that the terrorists have become more powerful than the government.
During Saturday’s session, several MPAs felt the Sindh government’s performance was “dismal” and it had failed to come up with an effective policy to deal with law and order. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmakers did, however, defend the government’s initiatives and promised to convene an All Parties’ Conference to discuss Karachi’s law and order situation.
“The Sindh government alone cannot be held responsible for the Karachi situation as federal agencies and other institutions are equally responsible,” said Information Minister Sharjeel Memon. “Terrorist camps are operating in the Punjab and these criminals have infiltrated to Sindh and other provinces.”
The assembly hall wore a grim look as lawmakers gathered at around 2:40pm, mourning the loss of the fourth sitting MPA of Sindh Assembly since 2006. Friday’s killing of MPA Sajid Qureshi and his son Waqas Qureshi in North Nazimabad troubled several legislators who felt the government was not taking the matter seriously.
“We have lost three members of this august house in only three years,” pointed out MQM’s deputy parliamentary leader Khawaja Izharul Hasan. “When will the government get up and ensure security for us and other citizens? It looks government has bowed down before the terrorists and has given free hand to criminal elements to kill our people.”
Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz’s Irfanullah Marwat felt the police do arrest the criminals but it does not disclose their identities under its “reconciliation policy”. “Why is the government mum on Karachi killings?” he asked, adding that offering Fateha only will not yield any results.
Besides the PPP MPAs, all members of the house agreed that the performance of the police, Rangers and intelligence agencies has been dismal. “Every day 10 to 15 people are being killed in Karachi and the rural areas of the province have turned into no-go areas but the government has yet to appoint a home minister,” pointed out Pakistan Muslim League - Functional’s (PML-F) Nusrat Seher Abbasi. She felt the chief minister, who currently holds the home ministry portfolio, has not been able to do justice because of other responsibilities given to him.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Syed Hafeezuddin said even the elected members in the house were unaware of what was actually happening in the city. “I suggest the government summon its relevant officials and arrange a full briefing on the issue,” he said. PML-F’s Mehtab Rashdi also disapproved of the way the city was shut down every time a killing took place. “This does not happen in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa or any other place. This is not a solution to the problem and we should discourage this practice.”
Blaming the Punjab
The legislators sitting on the treasury benches had a different story to tell. Deputy speaker Shehla Raza recalled a statement by the chief minister of Balochistan who said training camps for terrorists have been established in Punjab, from where the militants are sent to other provinces. Meanwhile, minister for jails Manzoor Wassan suggested holding an all parties conference. “The house should be given a briefing on the law and order situation since a worker of any party could be involved in the killings,” he said. Later, Memon reminded the speaker that the house does not take up other issues in the sessions following the death of an MPA so the session was adjourned till Monday.
Provincial intelligence bureaus should be formed: MQM
To overcome the worsening law and order situation in Karachi, MQM leaders Syed Sardar Ahmed and Khawaja Izhaarul Hasan suggested the government launch provincial-level intelligence bureaus.
“This can be replicated at district levels to avert such incidents,” said Ahmed, outside the Sindh Assembly on Saturday.
The leaders felt a state operation has started against their party and their workers are being kidnapped by the police and law enforcement agencies. Also speaking to the media, PPP’s Sharjeel Memon defended Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah’s home ministry portfolio. “The CM has given a free hand to the police and law enforcement agencies and no one should question his credibility and competency.”
Demanding the Punjab government keep vigil on its borders with Sindh, Memon recalled that a truck carrying arms and ammunition was seized at the Sindh-Punjab border in Ghotki a few days ago. “This shows that some elements want to destabilise Karachi.” Memon also denied receiving intelligence reports that a high-profile person will be killed in the city.
“Maintaining law and order in Karachi is not an easy game,” he said. “Tension in the city is rapidly reaching flashpoint because of a large number of weapons coming from Punjab. One should not assume that law and order can be controlled within days.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2013.
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