W ith the support of the police and the jiyalas of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the armed activists of the banned People’s Amn Committee (PAC) have resurfaced in Gulshan-e-Iqbal after their ouster from the Baloch-dominated Dalmia area. The Aziz Bhatti police and a few PPP jiyalas in the town are allegedly providing full support to the armed activists of PAC, who are committing crimes in broad daylight, making the lives of the people living in blocks 10, 18 and 19 of Gulshan-e-Iqbal miserable. The residents of Dalmia, Shanti Nagar, Sindhi Mohalla, Kachi Mohalla, Majeed Mohalla and Mujahid Colony had borne the brunt of criminal activities of the PAC members and snatching on gun point incidents had become the order of the day, as citizens coming or returning to these areas were routinely deprived of cash, cell phones and other valuables by the armed activists.
On November 22, 2011, the situation took an ugly turn when a PAC activist named Shann, along with his accomplices, kidnapped two youngsters – Ayaz and Sultan Banglani – on their way home from work. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of Rs 2 million from Qaiser Bangalni, an elder of the Bangalni clan, but the demand was turned down and the Bangalnis put up strong resistance, forcing Shann and his group to flee the Dalmia area. The citizens took a sigh of relief after the dismissal of the PAC activists from the area, but after a gap of four weeks, the armed men – from Lyari – have now made an entry in the posh areas of Gulshan-e-Iqbal and with each passing day, incidents of looting, harassment of women and sale of narcotics among other crimes are increasing. Talking with Pakistan Today, residents of a compound, Rupali Residency, complained of the rising crimes in the area.
“Armed and drunk, activists of PAC often enter the Rupali residency and snatch valuables from people as well as misbehave with the families,” they said. “However, the police seem reluctant to take any action against them.” Blaming the PPP jiyalas, including Akram Baloch, Irfan Baloch, Ali Pathan and police constable Zubair, of supporting the anti-social elements, the citizens said that the Aziz Bhatti police are also providing full protection to the PAC ringleaders, including Shann, Fauji, Gaggan, Kajal and Bhoro Pathan. “A couple of days ago, a PPP activist with his friends kidnapped a female housemaid in the morning and released her after gang rape,” one resident, seeking anonymity, said. “However, the incident remained unregistered as the girl’s family feared for their lives,” he added.
Qaiser Banglani told Pakistan Today that he had put up a strong resistance against PAC in the recent past, compelling the armed activists to leave the area. “However, their re-emergence in Gulshan-e-Iqbal is a cause of concern for the dwellers in the area,” he said. Claiming that there are no criminal elements in his area, Aziz Bhatti SHO Kenson Dean told Pakistan Today that he had no information about operations of any PAC members in his jurisdiction.
