The army’s spokesperson speaking about Karachi is as appropriate as some information officer at the irrigation department speaking about it. Yes, the actual dispensation of power in the country is known to all but it would be good to maintain at least the pretense of order.
Having gone through that motion (it should never, as a principle, not be commented upon) it would be wise for the government to listen to the mood of the army. The latter, being called by most of the mainstream political parties (barring the ruling PPP) to “solve” the problem in Karachi, has an opinion about how to deal with the situation in the city, regardless of whether it actually does eventually gets called in. An “indiscriminate action against all terrorists and law-breakers to restore peace to the city,” says ISPR Chief Maj Gen Athar Abbas. Few would find fault with that advice.
Not many are happy with the way the current operation is being carried out in the metropolis. Both the scale and direction are not what was expected from it. Instead of surgical strikes (a term that can be used to describe even business-as-usual policing), what was expected was a broader operation. Regarding the locations, it is ironic that activists of the ruling PPP, which controls the Sindh police, are screaming the most against what they claim is a lopsided operation directed primarily at the party’s Lyari stronghold. Justice, as the adage goes, need not only be done but be seen to be done. But does the need for establishing credentials of impartiality outweigh the utility of having a broader operation?
If the government feels calling the army in (an option, always) is an admission of defeat, it could still tackle the operational concerns that it has articulated. The scope of the operation should cover all of the political parties involved. This would mean ruffling some feathers. That would mean both bad press and dicier relations with coalition partners. But there really is no other way around this pickle.
