Rangers personnel besieged Lyari for an imminent operation late on Tuesday after the Sindh government gave them all police powers except the authority to register first information reports (FIRs), as the city ground to a halt following a complete shutter-down and wheel-jam strike on a mourning day call from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
The Pakistan People’s Party in its core committee meeting in Islamabad backed an operation against criminals in Sindh and decided that the provincial government would be assisted in swift prosecution of the arrested terrorists. In a high-level meeting at Chief Minister’s House chaired by Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah earlier in the day, the government decided to offer extortionists the choice to leave the city or face action, and also decided to act against some 25 banned extremist outfits.
The meeting was told that six extortionists had been arrested while others had been offered a chance to leave Karachi immediately or face stern action. A notification issued later at night, however, warned extortionists to cease their activities or face action. The government also decided to give Rangers all police powers except the authority to register FIRs. Rangers will now be able to carry out operations anywhere and at any time, and are set to begin surgical operations in the city to root out criminals.
At least three vehicles were set on fire in various parts of the city early in the afternoon despite the strike call, bringing public transport to a complete halt. Traffic remained suspended on the roads while routine activities were not observed in industrial zones of the city. Aerial firing was also reported in various parts of the city. Shops and markets that usually remain open late into the night in preparation for Eid and draw thousands of customers were also deserted as people stayed in their houses while aerial firing intensified.
During the early hours of the day, unidentified miscreants forcibly closed down petrol and gas filling stations as well as shops that had remained opened despite the strike call. Pakistan Rangers caught several arsonists red-handed and moved them to undisclosed locations. The only beneficiaries of the day were rickshaw and taxi drivers, who overcharged desperate customers in the absence of public transport. Fruit and vegetable markets in the city were also closed because of suspension of supply from the main market. Traders incurred over Rs 2 billion in losses, sources said, and labourers who rely on daily wages also suffered.
EIGHT KILLED: Violence in Karachi continued after the MQM announced the strike on Monday, with another eight people killed in different incidents during the last 24 hours. Four of those killed were found stuffed into gunny bags and dumped on city roads.
NO NEED FOR ARMY: The meeting also decided not to call in the army to Karachi and maintained that police and Rangers could handle the situation. According to an official handout, the meeting reviewed the efforts to maintain law and order, protect the lives and properties of people, and initiate effective action against criminals, terrorists and enemies of the people. The meeting issued a warning to banned organisations such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba to immediately stop their activities.
ARMED GUARDS: Traders have hired some 650 armed private guards to deal with extortionists, it is learnt. Usually the markets of the city remain open late into the night as Eid draws nearer, but this year things were different as customers and businessmen alike feared for their lives. Traders of the old city areas told Pakistan Today that the law enforcement agencies had failed to provide adequate security to them.
They said they were losing at least Rs 2 billion every day. The guards will reportedly be deployed at the city’s major markets such as Saddar, Jama Cloth, Bahadurabad, Clifton, Gulistan-e-Johar, Haideri and North Nazimabad.
LOWER SINDH: Meanwhile, a complete strike was also observed in lower Sindh as a protest against the violence in Karachi and the government’s failure to control the dire law and order situation in Sindh. All markets of Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Digri, Jhuddo, Samaro, Tando Adam, Sanghar, Shehdadpur, Tando Allahyar and other parts of lower Sindh remained closed and traffic was non-existent between Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad and Karachi.
PPP CORE COMMITTEE: In a related development, a meeting of the PPP Core Committee chaired by President Asif Zardari in Islamabad backed the Sindh government’s decision to start an operation against criminals in Karachi and decided not to call in the army.
Rangers get a free hand as strike paralyses Karachi
