NA session: Peace in Karachi to be restored at all costs, says Gilani

Premier responds to opposition’s criticism, but does not say who ordered the crackdown.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani vowed on Monday to restore peace in Karachi at any cost without elaborating who had ordered the launching of a crackdown on criminals allegedly behind the latest spate of targeted killings in the metropolis.

“No stone will be left unturned to normalise the situation in Karachi … steps are being taken to improve law and order in the country’s economic hub,” Gilani told the National Assembly.

Gilani’s speech, however, did not specify new measures being considered in this regard. “Rehman Malik (the interior minister) will explain them to the house,” the premier said in response to the opposition’s criticism of the handling of Karachi unrest.

The federal and Sindh governments have both disowned responsibility for the crackdown.

However, Gilani did say the provincial government was supervising this operation. He, however, did not say whose idea it was to give Rangers policing powers in some parts of Karachi.

Gilani’s remarks came in response to a demand by Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan who wanted an explanation about the Karachi situation.

“Is there any disconnect between the federal and the provincial governments? We have been hearing some contradictory statements: a new one every day. This is the situation in which militants and terrorists thrive,” Nisar said in his remarks.

New parliament lodges

While sharing the opposition’s concern on Karachi, the premier appeared to reject another of Nisar’s demand: his call to abandon the multi-billion-rupee project to build new houses for federal parliamentarians in Islamabad.

Gilani said the National Assembly and the Senate had been enlarged considerably since 2002 and, therefore, the housing needs for lawmakers had gone up as well.

The project was inaugurated by the prime minister last week.

Later, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi informed the house that President Asif Ali Zardari had conveyed to the US authorities Pakistan’s concerns about an evolving situation in Afghanistan during his recent private tour to Washington.

Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar denied media reports that Pakistan International Airline (PIA) was in the process of selling profitable routes to the Turkish Airline. However, he did not rule out that negotiation in this regard had not taken place.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2011.