Zamir Sheikh and Nisar Mehdi
KARACHI – Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza on Tuesday called upon the Army to play its due role and take over Karachi as Swat-like law and order situation is developing in the metropolis.
In his hard-hitting speech on the floor of the Sindh Assembly, in response to a personal explanation of PML-Q member Shaharyar Mehar, the Home Minister admitted that law and order situation in the province was not satisfactory.
‘If I was given the opportunity to act without the reconciliation process, I would have hanged all political rogues and hooligans publicly in the City squares within three months,’ the emotionally-charged Minister announced. Commenting on the current spate of killings in the City, he said it was self- created crime and politically motivated killings. He said: ‘If Shaharyar Mehar, who had staged walkout on Monday, complaining against the target-killings in Karachi, asked me then I would have informed him that from where a number of trailers were recovered. Those trailers were recovered from a sugar factory, which according to the owners was leased out.’
He alleged that the factory was leased out to a criminal. He said people are getting protection under the umbrella of reconciliation and he would present the list of their activities in the House.
The Home Minister said that killing was politically-targeted in Karachi and when Section 144 CrPC was imposed in one area, the criminals shifted to another.
He said he had already briefed the President, the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister and top Army brass about the law and order situation, developing like Swat and called upon the Army to take control of Karachi.
He asked why are the MPAs and MNAs not being targeted? He said he would like to extend an invitation to kill him.
Without naming anyone, he said when steps were taken to restore discipline, people start adopting black-mailing tactics.
He called upon the people of Karachi to stop the bloodshed of innocent people and take stock of the day when people carrying sticks would be calling shots in Karachi. He vowed that he, being true son of Sindh would not give concession to hooligans.
MQM Sindh Minister Dr Saghir Ahmed, responding to the speech of Home Minister said under a planned conspiracy, Karachi was being thrown in the cauldron of law and order, and added that 100 to 150 MQM activists have been killed during last one month. He said it seems that writ of law was a misnomer in the province, adding, that certain elements were bent upon sabotaging the process of reconciliation which he condemned.
Without naming anyone, he condemned the tall claims made on the floor of the House.
In the meantime, Deputy Speaker Ms Shehla Raza, who was presiding over the House, asked Dr Saghir as if he was giving statement on behalf of his party, he should have given it in the Core Committee meeting, as the Home Minister was not in the House.
She became hostile when some MQM members told her that she was showing partiality, which resulted in exchange of heated remarks between the chair and the members.
She said she was unanimously elected Deputy Speaker and also knew Assembly rules and regulations very well.
Upon this, the MQM legislators rose up and asked the chair to allow Mr Siddiqui who is Rabita Committee member to speak, but the chair refused, which resulted into commotion.
The MQM members rose in protest and heated arguments ensued between the chair and the members and the House echoed with the slogans of ‘Goonda Gardi Nahein Chaley Gi’ (hooliganism not allowed), ‘Dahshat Gardey Nahein Chalay Gi’ (terrorism will not be allowed).
All MQM members walked out of House while raising slogans and the process of political reconciliation, witnessed in the Assembly for the last two years, was evaporated into thin air.
After which, Senior Minister and Parliamentary Party leader of PPP in Sindh Assembly Pir Mazharul Haq said it was the Speaker who maintained decorum in the House while allowing the members to speak and vent out their resentment but what was seen here was that the chair speaks continuously without hearing members.
He said sense of reconciliation which prevailed for the last two years had been turned into commotion. He asked who is benefitting from it.
Later, Senior Minister Pir Mazharul Haq, Jam Madad Ali, and Ayaz Soomro held talks with MQM members for about one and half hours and tried to bring them to the House but in vain.
It was for the first time in the Parliamentary history that the chair addressed to any member as ‘Beta (son) sit down’.
Shehla Raza repeatedly asked the PML-Q member Shaharyar Mehar, who rose in his seat on a point, ‘Beta sit down’, which flabbergasted the House.
Earlier, the House which was set in motion by Shehla Raza in the Chair, witnessed exchange of heated arguments between Sindh Minister for Local Bodies Agha Siraj Durrani and MQM legislators.
The Minister while responding to a point of order criticised City Nazim Karachi, alleging Nazim has declared null and void those site plans approved by Karachi Building Control Authority six months back, which he described as an interference in the affairs of the provincial government.
He said the City Nazim alongwith his other Nazims should undergo brain check up in some private hospitals.
He said in the interest of people, President Asif Zardari has given couple of months extension to the Local Bodies system and provided funds so that the development works were carried out, but due to wrong steps of City Nazim foreign investments has been halted which is sad affair.
Upon this, Faisal Sabzwari, the Parliamentary party leader of MQM in Sindh Assembly said members of both PPP and MQM should raise such controversial matter at the forum of core committee.
The House, which was adjourned for 10 minutes reassembled after two hours and adopted a private resolution sans MQM. Later it was adjourned till Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, MQM Rabita Committee on Tuesday alleged that some PPP leaders were hatching a conspiracy to get control of Karachi, saying that these leaders wanted to crush the MQM for their vested interest.
The committee warned that MQM may take serious action including quitting the government if the PPP leaders did not tender apology on their attitude.
Addressing an hurriedly-called Press conference at MQM Khursheed Memorial Hall, Rabita Committee Deputy Convenor Anees Ahmed KaimKhani asked the PPP Co-Chairman President Asif Zardari to expel the black sheep from the partyÂ’s rank, saying that these black sheep were not in favour of the reconciliation.
Rabita Committee members Provincial Minister Raza Haroon, Waseem Aftab, Kanwar Khalid Younis, Dr Saghir Ahmed and MQMÂ’s legislators in Sindh Assembly were present on the occasion.
During the news conference, MQM activists raised anti-Zulfiqar Mirza and Agha Siraj Durrani slogans including ‘Zulfiqar Mirza NaKhapa’ and ‘Siraj Durrani NaKhapa’.
KaimKhani ruled out the possibility that MQM would not attend the Core Committee meeting of coalition parties and would end the boycott of Sindh Assembly session until PPPÂ’s apology over the attitude of their ministers. He strongly denounced the attitude and statements of some PPP ministers in Sindh against the MQM during the Sindh Assembly session.
He suggested to the PPP leadership to admit the Local Bodies Minister Agha Siraj Durrani at any good hospital over his mental condition as he was using non-parliamentary language against MQM and City Nazim during the assembly’s session. He said some hawkish PPP members believe in politics of hypocrisy rather than reconciliation. He alleged that some PPP leaders had not only supported Rehman Dakait group but also employed its some 5, 000 criminal people in the Police Department. He pointed out that the some PPP’s leaders were patronized the so-called People Aman Committee, terrorists of Haqqiqi group, so-called nationalists of Sindh, Drug peddlers and land mafia criminals to erupt ethnic violence in the Sindh province through using these criminals against the MQM. “We demanded the PPP leaders that if they want to follow the policy of reconciliation they must take action against those leaders who want to have confrontation,” he added.
He demanded of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of the statement of Zulifqar Mirza to break Pakistan into parts in the past and to appoint 4,000 to 5,000 criminals in the Sindh Police.
Kaimkhani alleged that Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza prepared the plan of bloodshed in Karachi on Youm-e-Ashura, in which several innocent people lost their lives and worth billions of rupees assets were destroyed.
He further said that Zulfiqar Mirza had prepared the band of criminals to apply his heinous design of bloodshed in Muharram, which was led by the son of PPP MNA Nabeel Gabool. But the law-enforcement agencies arrested Gabool’s son on 9th of Muharram along with illegal weapon and that who was released on the interference of Zulfiqar Mirza,” he alleged. “Why Nabeel Gabool’s son was released after being arrested for keeping illegal arms?” he asked Mirza.
Commenting over the attitude of some PPP leader, he said that PPP Sindh leaders must stop threatening MQM, saying that we want to make it clarify that we are not afraid of threats.
The MQM stalwart said that his party was a democratic party and believed in the policy of live and let others live, adding that they always supported democratic set up in the country.
Commenting over the Sindh Home Minister’s question “Why any MNA or MPA are not killed in Karachi” he alleged that through the questions the minister exposed the horrible ambitions. “If any elected representative hurt, the responsibility will be on the shoulders of Zulfiqar Mirza,” he added.
He appealed to the Pakistan Army, Security Agencies, Rangers, and loyal officers of the Sindh Police to take immediate notice of the killing of innocent people and play their due role foil the conspiracies against the country.