The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices on Friday to Sindh Chief Secretary and Advocate General seeking their explanation over targeted killings in the city. The division bench comprising SHC Chief Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi summoned the respondents, directing them to submit their written comments regarding target killing incidents on the next hearing date, to be fixed later.
The constitutional petition was filed by human rights activist Rana Faizul Hasan, submitting that according to Article 9, the state is fully responsible for protecting the lives of its citizens, but the government has failed to do so. The petitioner submitted that a number of innocent citizens, including lawyers and journalists, have been killed during waves of the targeted killings in the metropolis.
It is worth mentioning that another petition regarding the same matter from a human rights activist, Iqbal Kazmi, is also under proceeding at the SHC. On Friday, Hasan moved a plea for also citing Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) Director General among the respondents in the petition. He stated that the Rangers official had earlier claimed that if the Rangers were given complete mandate to handle the law and order situation in the metropolis, they could control targeted killings with a month.
The petitioner requested the court that full authority should be given to Rangers to eliminate the menace of targeted killings and arrest the culprits involved. However, political interference should not be allowed in the operations of Rangers, he added. The plaintiff also pleaded that the heirs of the deceased and the injured victims of the incidents should be provided compensation by the government.
Accusing the government and the law enforcers of failing to control targeted killings in the city, Hasan submitted that due to their negligence, no serious measures have been taken so far. The appellant stated that the province is facing a law and order crisis due to target killers, kidnappers, extortionists (bhatta mafia) and other miscreants while the uncertain situation has compelled the business community to shift their businesses to other provinces.
He added that 180 citizens were killed in the metropolis during one month alone; many of them had fallen prey to target killers. The petitioner pleaded that the government should be instructed to remove incompetent security officials from their posts immediately and assign some honest and deserving officers to handle the critical situation of law and order.
