Official meeting: PPP workers told to avoid public places

KARACHI:

The Pakistan Peoples Party leadership on Wednesday warned its workers and activists against visiting public places in view of the on-going violence and targeted killings in the city.

Talking to the media, the PPP general secretary, Taj Haider, said that around seven workers of the PPP had been gunned down by terrorists in Karachi in the last few days, adding that they have asked their workers to refrain from going to public places and sitting at restaurants, especially in Orangi Town.

Haider quoted the Sindh Inspector General of Police, Fayyaz Ahmed Laghari’s, recent comments by saying that at least thirty per cent of criminals and terrorists have been appointed in the police under political influence. Commenting on discrepancies in the electoral roles, he said that massive irregularities were found in the voters list and that they would start knocking on the doors of the election commission to rectify these errors.  “If our grievances are not addressed, it would not be possible for the PPP to accept the result of the election to be held on the basis of current electoral roles,” he said.

A law and order meeting was also held at CM House, which was chaired by the Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah. The IG briefed those attending the meeting about the recent killings in the city. During the meeting, Shah said that after the month of Ramazan, crime has started to rise once again. He added that he had directed the police and law enforcement agencies to take action and arrest the criminals.

The CM lamented that criminals arrested by the police are being released by the courts due to the lack of affective evidence.

He also took notice of the robberies on the highways and directed the police to enhance patrolling on super and national highways, to provide security to the commuters.

The former home minister, Manzoor Wasan, said that around 150 PPP workers were killed in Karachi.  He added that it was the responsibility of all the political parties and stakeholders to join hands against criminals and bring about peace in Karachi.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2012.