SC orders action against Taliban, armed groups in Karachi

The Supreme Court on Saturday issued an interim order in the Karachi law and order case, directing the Sindh government to take immediate action against all armed groups in Karachi, including the Taliban.
A five-member SC bench headed by Anwar Zaheer Jamali and comprising Justice Khilji Arif, Justice Sarmad Jalal, Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Gulzar Ahmed passed the interim eight-page judgment at the Karachi Registry.
While issuing the order, the bench upheld the previous judgment of the case and stated that the 35 prisoners whose cases were still pending and who were released on parole should be arrested immediately and presented in respective courts.
The relevant courts were instructed to issue non-bailable warrants for all such criminals. The court instructed the authorities concerned to present a detailed report on the issue during the next hearing, as the SC would continue hearing cases involving accused people.
The order said the provincial government should take the issue of the presence of the Taliban in Karachi seriously.
In an earlier hearing in the same case, Justice Jamali had said there were reports of between 6,000 and 7,000 Taliban activists having made their way into the city. The court had then directed Sindh police chief Fayyaz Leghari to submit a detailed report in this regard. The court also directed the Sindh government to take immediate steps to protect citizens against targeted killings. Moreover, the court also ordered that all firearm licences should be computerised within three months and all previous non-computerised licences be cancelled.
The interim verdict also ordered authorities to take action against illegal unregistered vehicles in the city, directing the government to implement all of its directives in three months’ time. The order added that action against unregistered vehicles and vehicles having fancy and foreign number plates should be initiated. Earlier during the hearing, the bench also instructed Excise and Taxation Department to set up their office at Karachi Port so that no vehicle could enter the city without registration, as unregistered vehicles were being used in criminal activities and officials were not taking any notice of the occurrences.