The interior ministry has almost completed its groundwork, and will place its proposed plan before the next cabinet meeting in the first week of September, says Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. PHOTO: PID
ISLAMABAD:
The government has prepared the blueprint of a ‘targeted operation’ in Karachi as a special meeting of the federal cabinet has been convened to weigh options for restoring order in the violence-ridden megacity.
“The government has decided to take major political parties into confidence before launching a targeted operation to purge the city of criminals,” revealed Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan while addressing a news conference on Wednesday.
Nisar’s revelation came hours after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif summoned a special meeting of the federal cabinet to finalise a strategy to restore order in Karachi. “The situation is a matter of grave concern and all stakeholders should sit together to devise a joint strategy to check the situation,” Nawaz was quoted as telling a cabinet meeting.
“A special cabinet meeting will be held and I would like to invite Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) representative Farooq Sattar to attend,” the premier said and directed Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad‚ Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Sindh IG police, Rangers director general and senior intelligence officials, including the directors general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) to attend the meeting.
The interior minister said that the blueprint of the proposed operation would be discussed in the cabinet meeting. A senior official of the interior ministry told The Express Tribune that the prime minister was likely to give the go-ahead for the operation after consulting major political parties as well as heads of civilian and military intelligence agencies.
The development came a day after MQM chief Altaf Hussain demanded that Karachi should be handed over to the Pakistan Army.
Chaudhry Nisar, however, opposed a military operation in the city. “There is no need for a full-scale military operation in Karachi as scores of target killers, extortionists and criminals have already been identified,” he said, adding that the paramilitary Rangers were ready to launch the operation.
Under the proposed plan, Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah will lead the operation. The government wanted to give a leading role to the provincial government on a non-partisan basis, he added.
“Intelligence agencies have identified scores of criminals who have direct political links,” he told reporters. But there will no political victimisation, he added.
The interior ministry has almost completed its groundwork, and will place its proposed plan before the next cabinet meeting in the first week of September, he said, responding to a question.
The cabinet “will only focus on the worsening law and order situation in Karachi, in which the Sindh chief minister, Governor and all the heads of agencies will give their input”.
In another plan, the interior minister said the government is considering the formation of an outer committee to oversee the targeted operation. It will likely to have representation of the MQM, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Awami National Party, Jamaat-e-Islami, Sunni Tehreek, as well as members of the media and the business community.
The federal government will only assist the provincial government when it comes to setting up the operation’s modules and we will welcome the chief minister’s new plan, if there is any, for restoring peace in Karachi, he explained.
Responding to a question, Chaudhry Nisar said some other dangers also threaten the city but he did not explain these dangers right now.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2013.
COMMENTS (36)
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Democratic minded people never believe in military or targeted operation.History is witness what kind of result we received the army operation committed in the eastern wing,separation dismemberment forever.
You have come into power by democratic way and resolve the issue affiliated with state affars by negotiations.
The fact attributed to the matter is that tussle is still underway in between the two major political parties,bring them across the table that is the best solution and dire need of the time.
Targeted operation may create a new issue for leadership in power.
The persons,talking about army action in the city, in fact inviting more undesirable circumstances.
pls,eyeball to eyeball negotiations are better all the other ways leading to peace.
Party chiefs know well what is going on and what is behind the scene which mad the situation miserable. the personalities occupied high profile position have knowledge what is going on in the circumsyance,who is resaponsible who is innocent.
Government has taken a decision of targeted operation,according to my considered opinion decision must be confidence building unanimous and and agreed.
If MQM and ANP love with country security integrity, stability and sovereignty they should moved forward and stand in the front line leading to peace.
@Karachiite: Today it is not 1990 era....the govt will do a big mistake if it repeats 1990 operations....one under PML N and another under PPP rule.....did it eliminate MQM ? Today it is a more organized party and has presence all over Pakistan....handling of Karachi need cool mind with good strategy after taking all parties into confidence and action across the board without discrimination.....otherwise, if MQM is pushed to wall, Karachi will become another Beirut....and under presence of different militancy groups, MQM will be forced to join them and it will sure will be a bigger mess.....another BD in the making intentionally or intentionally, and that is what our external enemies agenda is....is not it ?
ET for Gods sake pls print my comment or have you also closed your eyes to reality.....
It is very hard to control the situation without consensus between the two parties national Awami Party and MQM.
@True Karachiwala: Thanks
Eliminate PML and PPP most of the country problems resolved:))))
@Malveros: Eliminate MQM. 75% of the problem is solved.
Ask Brigadier Imtiaz who had wish like you, but he could not do instead people kept electing MQM so that people like you continue to use barnol. @ Aysha M : Karachi neither feeds the country nor is responsible for 68% of revenue of Pakistan. Keep these erroneous statements to yourself.
Read what our Chie Justice has said the other day, "Karachi feeds and contributes 68% to the national revenue" (more or less).Do not say to CS "Keep these erroneous statement to yourself" otherwise you will be behind the bars for contempt of court.
@Malveros: Inexplicable hate and prejudice Do you nearly 3 million ppl voted for MQM in May & Aug., I wonder how they would respond to your suggestion of eliminating MQM
MQM chapter was considered closed in the 90s, didnt work
pls accept MQM as a political reality
that is the same CM who had dinner with Uzair Baloch a wanted criminal
bunch of hypocrites
@ Aysha M : Karachi neither feeds the country nor is responsible for 68% of revenue of Pakistan. Keep these erroneous statements to yourself.
Eliminate MQM. 75% of the problem is solved.
@Aysha M: Your commitment to Karachi is laudable and imitable.
Xyz
Situation would have been worst had he been deprived of his authority. This city needs peace, where everyone accepts others right of coexistence.
According to the sources,familar with the recent development,a decision has been taken by the government and now have to take poilitical parties into confidence,now operation is going to take its start.
It would be targeted,many parties are disagreed on it,According to them it shouldn't be targeted,in this way there are chances of injustice carnage of innocent people. Operation must be fair and impartial. The persons or groups involved in the heinous crime must be bring to justice so that no one can say a injustice is being carried out and targeted particular persons and pointred places.
@gujranwala789: Well let us say "ordinary people"
Mr. Interior Minister, May Allah bless you for focussing on us dispossessed Karachites (ameen). I hope and pray that it is all well intentioned and result oriented effort on your part where you plan to engage seriously and not settle for cosmetic operations which Karachi has suffered for the last 6 years. Mr. Interior Minister, we in Karachi generate 68% of the country’s revenue and 93% of that of Sindh, where have we gone so wrong to deserve loss of life on a daily basis. In a small household, the breadwinner is looked after. But we in Karachi are treated disgracefully and disregarded in all matters of governance of our province. Could you please tell us what have we done to be poorly treated by our own police. What have we done that we are expected to endanger our lives every single day to get to work by sitting on bus tops. What have we done so bad to be deprived of health care and what have we done to get killed and business in the country goes as usual? Mr. Interior Minister, please tell us, what can we do to improve ourselves so that the treatment meted out to us changes for the better. In you Mr. Interior Minister, I see a person who has the political will and the spine to put things right.
Mr. Interior Minister, I have a request. To me it is the panacea to all our woes in Karachi. Could you please give us a city government with political, administrative and financial mandate? A government which is effective, independent and powerful, with policing, transport and utilities under its jurisdiction. Mr. Interior Minister, all I am asking for is for the third tier of governance which is the rock layer of democracy, tried and tested world over. Mr. Interior Minister, you are the man, who can fix it for us in Karachi, all eyes on you.
@Take major political parties in confidence" The same political parties that have "militant Wings" operating in the city? this is really laughable... lol
@csmann:
I hate the use of this word "innocent", no one is "innocent" in this world.
@Karachiite: you mean extra judicial killings
@True Karachiwala: It is exhausting to see people killed on a daily basis, who does one look up to. What do they want? how long? how many more?
@sheraz: true my friend...that is why we are where we are today...sad but absolutely true.
Doubt if it turns out to be anything more than a repetition of 1992
@Kamran Khan: @Aysha M: @Humayun: @csmann: Voices of justice, voices of Karachi.
Government should take serious steps against all the political parties having armed wings including MQM.
No need of military operation,be summoned the tow parties actross the table let them negotiate and play the role of impatial conciliator,the problem would be resolved within very short span of time.
As have seen,army operation and operation by other agencies were made but remained fruitless not fruitful.We should learn a lesson from the past experiences.The last final and stable solution is table talk,table talke between the two major psrties of the city.
Karachi is being stifled by massive corruption, crimes, extortion, incompetence under the dark age feudal rule of corruption party in the garb of "democracy revenge".
@Xyz:
People are dying everyday….the rulers are accountable infront of God for each and every life lost
Rulers dont believe in God bro...lolz
Unfortunately, PML-N is in no position to tackle Karachi's problems because of its political situation, its in coalition with the guilty parties.
Loudly announced operation so that criminals may hide somewhere for the timebeing
But no operation against the murderous TTP., who have killed tens of thousands and openly admit to it.
Mr. Interior minister please engage and not intervene, with clear objectives, listed and made public. May Allah protect my city from all evil (ameen).
I have said this before, and saying it again;
Solidarity is subcutaneous in Karachi and those intoxicated by power will be surprised when the Karachites will transcend party lines and stand together to march towards their common good, whatever that takes, enough has gone x times more than its acceptable limit. Karachi cannot and will not accept killings of its people on daily basis. We stand behind our elected representatives who talk of common good. Enough of butchering those who feed the country.
Hmmm....but the cm leads the law enforcement agencies right now too and things are not looking good...what makes u think it will get better when he leads this team?
People are dying everyday....the rulers are accountable infront of God for each and every life lost!
As per democratic, social, constitutional and moral grounds, people of Sindh has given majority to PPP, not MQM , PML-F, PMLN or PTI. They should do pro-people and pro democratic politics and attract people so that next time, they win elections with majority. But certain parties are in haste, they have no experience of sitting in opposition and without power. First time, neither they are needed in Federal Govt nor in Sindh, they are looking desperately for getting back to powerful positions by hook or by crook. They should hold their horses, and should avoid using all tactics of blackmailing, violent politics, propaganda, and yellow journalism to weaken democratic Govt of Sindh. Those opposition parties who will violate democratic norms by replacing PPP through negative means, and by pushing democratic mandate to walls. Democratic people of Pakistan, specially Sindh will resist it. Let's do your duty as constructive opposition and do sane, people friendly, pro-Sindh, pro-Pakistan politics.
About time something is done to give reprieve to the innocent citizens of Karachi.