Karachi security conundrum: Criminals flee city before crackdown

Many miscreants have escaped to Dubai and South Africa and safe havens in rural Sindh, premier told.

LAHORE:

Most criminals have fled an imminent ‘targeted operation’ in Karachi to their ‘safe havens’ elsewhere in Sindh and abroad, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was informed on Saturday.

The disclosure was made by Director General Rangers Maj-Gen Rizwan Akhtar at a high-level security huddle at Jati Umra, in Raiwind. The prime minister presided over the meeting where attendees included army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and ISI chief Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam.



According to sources privy to the meeting, Maj-Gen Akhtar told the premier that the government would have to come up with a new strategy for purging Karachi of criminals since most of them have already fled the megacity. He said many criminals, having political affiliations, had already escaped to Dubai and South Africa, and many others had moved to Sukkur, Larkana, Hyderabad and rural areas of Sindh.

ISI chief Lt Gen Islam and other senior officials also shared details of the criminals’ escape from Karachi, sources added.

According to an official handout issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Nawaz expressed ‘satisfaction with the progress’ after being briefed by Maj-Gen Akhtar about the operational and strategic aspects of the project to restore peace to Karachi.

It stated that Saturday’s meeting was part of “continuing consultations to discuss the strategy and modalities to envisage a foolproof mechanism to rid the country in general and Karachi in particular of anarchic elements.”

“Extraordinary circumstances require a sustained response from the law enforcement machinery to bring back tranquility to Karachi, as policies do not change on daily basis,” the handout cited the prime minister as saying.



He reiterated his government’s ‘principled commitment’ to provide all possible assistance to the Sindh government to restore order in Karachi and directed concerned authorities to address existing gaps in prosecution and make necessary amendments to the law to ensure the security of citizens. Nawaz also directed the concerned quarters to finalise a strategy to block unregistered and illegal SIMs.

All parties conference

The prime minister also discussed the agenda of the upcoming all-parties conference (APC) with the army chief, ISI DG and other participants.

According to sources, the participants decided that both the civil and military leadership would share some aspects of negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) at the APC but refrain from presenting the details which would be shared privately with some political leaders.

Afghan endgame

Premier Nawaz, Gen Kayani and Lt-Gen Islam also discussed the situation in Afghanistan after the scheduled withdrawal of the US-led Nato forces from the war-torn country.

Sources said the army chief sought suggestions from the meeting participants on the complex situation in Afghanistan.

The civil and military leadership also discussed Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s proposals for peace in his country, which he shared with Pakistani officials during his recent trip to Islamabad.

US concern about nuclear assets

The meeting also discussed the leaked report of the US intelligence community’s black budget. According to the report, the US is concerned about the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear assets and was broadening surveillance efforts in this regard.

Sources said the participants discussed whether the report was leaked deliberately to prepare ground for action against Pakistan in the future. According to them, the civil and military leadership took the matter seriously and directed concerned quarters to conduct a serious study in this regard. The Foreign Office was also directed to counter the development effectively.

Situation in Syria

The US plans to launch an attack in Syria following the use of chemical weapons by President Bashar al Assad also came under discussion during the meeting.

According to sources, Gen Kayani told the prime minister that Pakistan’s allies – Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE and other Arab states – have voiced support for the imminent US action. The sources said the participants have devised a strategy to tackle the Syria situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th, 2013.