Bhatta mafia: Crackdown against extortionists begins
Caving in to mounting pressure from a key coalition partner, the government finally decided on Monday to crack down on extortionists (bhatta mafia) in Karachi.
“An operation against extortionists will begin in Karachi before dawn on Tuesday (today),” Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik told a joint news conference with Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan at the Chief Minister House.
“Police, Rangers and Frontier Constabulary will launch the operation, while separate SHOs will be posted in each police station to liaise with the business community,” he added.
Malik said that the Sindh Assembly would soon pass an anti-extortion law which would cover all extortion-related offences.
The draft bill would be unveiled in the next three days.
He said that 10,000 new recruitments would be made in the Sindh police and that the federal government would pay the salaries of half of them.
Assuring the gathering of a resilient crackdown, Malik said the operation would be indiscriminate. “We will take indiscriminate action against extortionists, whoever they may be.”
The Katchi Rabita Committee took exception to the kind of language used by the interior minister against the community. “Rehman Malik is welcome to conduct an operation in Lyari – but he should mind his language,” the committee’s spokesperson, Abdul Karim said.
The Anti-Extortion Joint Task Force will be headed by the provincial police chief. A helicopter will also be at the squad’s disposal. “Intelligence officials will help the law enforcers to trace the criminals,” Rehman said.
The interior minister, who chaired a high-level meeting earlier in the day, said that they have decided to establish police and rangers checkpoints in and around the Lyari neighbourhood. Checkpoints will also be set up in Sherpao Colony, Liaquatabad and Orangi Town.
Malik conceded that some incompetent police officials were giving the force a bad name. “Law-enforcement agencies have been asked to see if these elements are patronising criminals,” he added.
He also admitted that complaints of extortion were genuine. “We do believe some criminals are defaming parties while claiming to be their loyalists,” he added.
Telecom regulations
The interior minister said the government would strictly deal with the offence of using stolen mobile phones, for which punishment would be a 7-year prison sentence. He added that those caught selling or purchasing fake SIMS would be tried under the anti-terrorism act. “It will be a non-bailable offense.”
Malik said that all untraceable SIMS would be blocked. “The Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) will inform ID card holders within three days of SIMS being activated in their names. No SIM will be sold directly from May 1. Instead, purchased SIMS would be mailed to the address mentioned in the ID card of the bearer.”
It will be mandatory for mobile phone operators to inform of the IMEI numbers of the handsets to the PTA to enable law-enforcement agencies to trace stolen phones. “All retailers are to get permission from concerned police stations before opening their shops,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2012.
COMMENTS (12)
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@Salman Orangiwala:
The strings are pretty long.your comments have wieght. The authorities are fully aware.but they do not fear any one.Unfortunate part is they even, are not afraid of the creator., let alone the world they live???
Govt wants to end the extortion ???? lolzzzzz...... PPP's waderas fro Interior Sindh has the biigest share in the extortion with people like Mirza .
Police officers imported from Interior Sindh who are here to jsut get rich overnight will never eliminate extortion , rather protect it . Just wait and see .
Lack of seriousness is on page and visible to all. Reasons are also known to one and all and the solution lies in all the affectees to come forward and make records clear, as what ever entered today will be useful and the extortionists will be on the run, trying saving thier skins, offcourse for this a honest set up like CPLC would be required to open a branch dealing with these cases with all the honesty to save the affectees promptly.if you like the idea endorse and make it public
why doesn't Rehman Malik publish a list of people that he wants to arrest so those people will have ample time to find a nice vacation spot somewhere else until this "crackdown" is over.
Only IK can end this
The way this operation started clearly indicates that all political bhatta mafia were told to go underground because operation is starting. I am impressed with the wisdom of our own Mr. Malik. :)
To end this menace they should shut down all political HQs, recover illegal weapons and imprison the culprits. Without these steps this will be another 'topi drama' like the previous occasion.
It seems Pakistan law enforcement agencies do not carry out normal law and order duties, they are too busy looking after their bosses. Every operation, however small, has to be approved and ordered by Chief Minister or Prime Minister or Interior Minister or someone in power. What a country. Everyone is looking for piece of pie either financially or politically.
can they also include founding father party am qu qm .
It is like expecting someone to perform open heart surgery on themselves. All ruling parties are financed by bhatta / extortion, expecting them to punish themselves is nothing but deluding oneself.