Security concerns: ANP Sindh leaders get police escorts

Over 600 of the party’s leaders and supporters have been killed in the last four years in Karachi.

KARACHI:

Leaders of the Awami National Party (ANP) Sindh will now be given special police security in view of the attacks on the party's workers and supporters over the last few years. The Sindh Police have finally decided to provide security to the leaders who are on the hit-list of militants and criminals.  

The Sindh police had taken back the security protocol from ANP leaders in Karachi after they ended their coalition with the Pakistan People's Party. Until recently, only Shahi Syed, the party's provincial chief and senior leader, Bashir Jan, had police escorts while the rest of the party leaders did not have any security guards, despite frequent requests and applications to the government.



Muhammad Hanif Shah, the party's central executive committee member said that the party has lost over 600 workers, leaders and supporters in the last four years in separate incidents of target killings and bomb blasts.

"The majority of our senior members and leaders are receiving threatening calls from unknown numbers," said Hanif Shah. Recently, Dr Ziauddin, the party's district West president was killed by unknown assailants and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed the responsibility for his killing.

The party was engaged in a street-war with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) before mid-2012 and members of both the parties were attacking and blaming each other for the killings.

After that, the ANP Sindh has been under attack by militants. A majority of the attacks were carried out in Orangi, SITE, Sohrab Goth, Ittehad Town, Baldia and Landhi areas. Besides Ziauddin, Syed Ameer Sardar, Saeed Ahmed Khan, Hanif Advocate, Lal Darwesh, Fazal Amin, Moin Ghampasar and other senior leaders have been killed while the TTP have claimed responsibility for the attacks.

"At least twice a day, I receive threatening calls from unknown numbers telling me to leave the party and pay a huge sum as fine for serving the party," said Sarfaraz Jadoon, the party's district South general secretary.



Two weeks ago, the leaders, headed by the party's provincial general secretary, Younas Bunairee, met chief minister Qaim Ali Shah and asked to be provided round-the-clock police security. The chief minister gave his verbal consent and the delegation received the security apparatus from the Karachi police chief on Thursday.

"We are receiving death threats and the intelligence agencies inform us about possible security threats and ask us not to visit particular areas," said Bunairee. He expressed gratitude to the Sindh police and the government for paying attention to their requests. "The presence of a police security guard will at least give us some peace of mind," he said.

"We have reorganised our party at the provincial level and have reopened our offices in Karachi despite security threats," said Bunairee, adding that a total of 19 leaders of the party will be given police security.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2014.