As the rhetoric continues, the body count rises

Interior minister visits Nine-Zero to a frosty reception.

KARACHI: As target killings continued in the city, with the 48-hour count crossing 40, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, the President’s negotiator in chief – at least when it comes to dealing with the phenomenon of target killings – held a number of meetings, including one with the Sindh chief minister and home minister on the law and order situation in Karachi.

The usual warnings were issued after the meeting in a press briefing with the chief and home ministers.

Meanwhile, though relations between the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) seem to have survived yet another precarious low-point, the thawing process appeared to linger on Monday, despite reconciliatory assurances by the government late on Sunday.

The interior minister also visited Nine-Zero to “condole” with the MQM over the deaths of their workers in the recent spate of violence.

However, Malik arrived at Nine-Zero to a relatively cold welcome. In fact, he was not given a welcome at all. No MQM leader came out to receive him – which is a courtesy given to all political delegations, large or small. His visit was followed by a routine and rhetorical joint press conference with Farooq Sattar – the MQM’s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly.

“PPP-MQM’s friendship will keep growing for the sake of people, the country, and fight against the enemies of the country and Pakistan’s prosperity,” said Malik, alluding to MQM’s threat of pulling out of its coalition with the PPP.

The interior minister once again promised that those responsible for target-killing would be brought to justice, adding that these elements will also be exposed before the media.

He added that action will be taken against the land mafia, drug mafia and Talbanisation. Disowning the People’s Aman Committee, the interior minister said that the government will not only investigate recent killings but take up the issue of all target-killing-related deaths over the last one year.

Dr Farooq Sattar’s comments were less diplomatic and more hard-hitting. The MQM’s parliamentary leader said that the MQM has made clear its grievances and complaints to the government. Alluding to the Awami National Party (ANP), he also said that it was now clear who remained patient and who spread bloodshed during the past two days in Karachi.

He alleged that the ANP, after announcing their boycott from the elections, also called for arms and warned the people to stay at home on polling day, adding that, after their press conference, there were incidents of indiscriminate firing upon bystanders and shops.

He said that, while the MQM is a coalition partner of the government, the responsibility of maintaining law and order is the PPP government’s responsibility as they are in control of the law enforcement agencies and not the MQM.

The MQM leader blamed the Peoples Aman Committee, which he first referred to as the “Peoples Fasad Committee”, for conspiring to spread the Lyari gang war all over Karachi by opening their offices in various parts of the city.

Senators from the Awami National Party (ANP), meanwhile, have submitted an adjournment motion in the Senate against target killings in Karachi. Senators Afrasyab Khatak, Haji Adeel and Zahid Khan submitted the motion in the Senate secretariat. The motion states that the government did not accept the ANP’s demand to deploy the army in the city during elections to ensure security. The rejection of this demand led to the loss of many innocent lives in just one day. The ANP is demanding a debate on the issue in the upper house.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2010.