Political rhetoric heats up as violence spikes again
As the bodies piled up in Karachi, temperatures rose with an exchange of warnings and concerns by the political leadership. However, the question about who is behind violence remained unanswered.
Speaking on the latest crisis faced by Karachi, Prime Minister Yousaf
Raza Gilani hinted that more “aggressive” measures will be taken to restore peace in the financial hub. The prime minister also warned of “across the board action”.
Gilani met Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Governor Sindh Ishratul Ebad separately in the day. According to a handout statement by his office, Gilani promised Malik ‘additional operational logistics’ to step up efforts aimed at controlling the latest spree of killings.
The statement, however, was vague about what additional logistics Gilani was referring to.
Sources familiar with the matter said more troops from paramilitary Rangers or Frontier Constabulary may be deployed - a move the government has been considering for some time now.
In his meeting with Ebad, the second in less than 24 hours, Gilani said government agencies will take action against criminals destroying peace in the city. “Show no leniency to elements that are ruining the city,” the prime minister said.
On the direction of the prime minister, Rehman Malik reached Karachi on Thursday evening. The interior minister said there is a need for a parliamentary committee with representation from all parties to probe the killings.
MQM blames government
Karachi’s largest party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, blamed certain leaders in the government for letting the violence perpetuate.
“The government, police and the provincial administration are silent spectators to the ongoing violence which is being fuelled by the Peoples Peace Committee and the Lyari gang war,” MQM’s Raza Haroon said. “The international community and human rights organisations will have to see that these terrorists promoting gang war, lawlessness and killings in Karachi have the support of certain leaders of the government,” Haroon told a press conference after a meeting of Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) coordination committee.
Haroon said that as a result of the government’s ignorance, those involved in the violence have become fearless and are now targeting innocent Urdu-speaking people just to sabotage the good relations between the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the MQM, which may join the government by the end of Ramazan.
(Read: PPP-MQM: The deal has been done)
Home minister says he can’t tell
Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan said the government will take action against target killers irrespective of their party affiliations.
Addressing a press conference after attending a meeting on law and order, which was presided over by Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Wassan said: “Enough is enough, we have finally decided to take action.”
Speaking on the decisions taken at the meeting, he said that the recent incidents were a result of target killings of five Baloch who were kidnapped and killed in different areas.
He said that officials of intelligence agencies, police and Rangers jointly briefed the meeting where terrorists are operating.
“We have directed police and law enforcement agencies to take action, regardless of whether the suspects are from PPP, MQM or ANP,” he said.
When asked to disclose who was behind the violence, the minister was reluctant to respond and said: “It will be premature to name the conspirators. We will take sudden action against them and have devised a plan.”
Altaf Hussain calls prime minister
MQM chief Altaf Hussain called Gilani and expressed his concern over the situation. Farooq Sattar, the deputy convener of MQM’s coordination committee, also spoke to the prime minister and briefed him about the security problems.
In a recent report, the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said 800 people have been killed in Karachi so far this year, compared with 748 in 2010.
(ADDITIONAL INPUT BY HAFEEZ TUNIO)
Published in The Express Tribune, August 19th, 2011.
COMMENTS (25)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
@Insider .........in complete agreemnet ............ The citizens of this God forsaken city are so naive to grasp the big picture and happenings behind the happenings .......
Just read the predictions a month back , by senior analyst :
http://karachitargetkilling.wordpress.com/
A few days ago, Karachi was being compared to London after the riots took place. But the police over there caught all the culprits in less than two days and the courts sentenced more than a thousand people overnight! Will we ever see such robust action from the authorities in Pakistan?
Both Rehman Malik and Manzoor Wassan have failed miserably in controlling the mayhem / killing in Karachi. It is not because they cant do it, it is just that they are not interested in bringing peace to Karachi and neither is any other party. On every TV channel the leaders of PPP, MQM and ANP make statements everyday regarding peace in Karachi but while they are doing that their armed goons are busy killing the innocent.
Thank you Mr. Wassan for deciding enough is enough after more than 1000 people have been killed in this city for no reason :((
Gillani Step down please & take your govt with you . Rehman Malik plz think before u speak
daily Innocent are dying ,being burnt alive
its seems we are no more HUMANS
Sir...now an agressive action was only told after thousand of people dead...lets see when comes look alike statement again in future...because you cant stop it in fututre
May Allah curse PM, President, CM, Governor and all concerned parties responsible for the violence. They didnt even spare the holly month of Ramadan.
This Interior Minister seems only a dreamer as useless people are. Dont expect anything better.
Same old story. I am sure nothing will happen and killing will go on. I think its time for chief justice to take notice because rulers proved to be highly insufficient. No wonder why we army is worried about Karachi. I don't support martial law but was it not better then this government.People please don't elect these people next time - don't give them licence to kill our innocent brother, for God sake think and make decision or we will also be killed one day on roads of Karachi
This whole think stinks: "Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan said the government will take action against target killers irrespective of their party affiliations." what was admitted and established is these target killers belong to political parties and were not being arrested due to political party affiliation. What has happened to this government. This government has failed and failed miserably
It is open secret that which factors are involve in creating terror in Karachi. Major stakeholders are more interested in gaming political mileage weather to take this gruesome issue more seriouly.
Wonder.. does he suits for the job of minister!? And Its now like "WHO CARES" for such statemnts!!!
whether interim set up is in the offing after lyari gangsters destroying their own government. Questions should be asked as to why weaponization allowed under the patronage of the provincial government which is now endangering PPP governments own existence.
we have all heard this before.peace in karachi is not on the govt.'s priority list.they dont care about the poor people being guuned downed
same old words from these people. There is no solution to this except all the three parties sit on the government seats. make the most spoiled child proctor of the class so that he can not mischief.
Well, everyone has a perfect right to be more stupid than the others. Keep on believing Government's line that they have been parroting for three years now that law will be applied across the board without regard to political affiliations, while hundreds of people are getting killed each week. Maybe there is a magical figure of killings out there, 100,000??? or 200,000??? at which point the people who can really stop this mayhem will wake up and realize that they themselves alone can stop it. No ministers, no presidents, no police officers will ever stop this because their sons and daughters are safely encamped in the hostels of Oxford and Cambridge and their families are safely perched in cantonments and posh and safe areas. The victims have a choice: either to bury their dead and go back to their slumber, or leave their deads in the streets and roads and jam the city and ports until law and order is there to protect them.
Even Nero was better than this combination of ANP,MQM &PPP
Sir, thank you so much for coming to unanimous decision about taking the action across the board. We ordinary ignorant peoples have fade up on reading and listening the same type of statements on newspapers and tv channels that strong action would be taken against the culprits and one of our so called gentleman from a pretigious ministry keep stating that the target killers and the culprits will not be tolerated.. Sir with due respect, i would like to say that during last more than 3 years we are just being continously fed with the same type of statements with some change in the wordings, will some one please so kindly could tell us the ignorant peoples that when possibly we could witness some real/ concerete results ?
Same old story of empty roars on part of the government. Btw Mr. Minister, are you done with sleeping and dreaming?
A good decision on part of the government. If it is implemented in letter and spirit inshallah peace will return to Karachi and greatly help to restore the fastly diminishing prestige of PPP.