Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Wednesday said three banned organisations were responsible for targeted killings and the law and order in Karachi.
Speaking in the Senate in response to a point of order by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, the interior minister said Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Jaish-e-Muhammad and Sipah-e-Sihaba were terrorising the people of Karachi.
“It is not the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a whole involved in Karachi killings. But, these are splinter groups,” he said.
The minister also claimed that Ehsanullah Ehsan was not a TTP spokesman. “He is nobody but these are the hawks in these organizations, who are inflicting terror on innocent people,” Malik said.
Mashhadi had mentioned the recent statement by the minister that terrorists were conspiring to launch massive attacks in Karachi in early February and sought explanation from the minister and the background of his statement.
Malik explained that those busy in Karachi were different extremist factions, adding that when the Interior Ministry warned of an attack on the Dr Tahirul Qadri’s long march, the same Ehsanullah Ehsan withdrew his statement.
But, after killing of MQM leader Manzar Imam, he claimed the responsibility as a spokesperson of the TTP. “But, it is evident that he is not working for the TTP but for somebody else,” said the minister.
He said internal and external groups were involved in Karachi situation and killers were being paid Rs 80,000 to Rs 90,000 for each killing.
“I have asked the intelligence agencies to enhance monitoring as well as security. I have asked the agencies that when they get any information, they should apprehend the suspects and take preventive action.”
The interior minister said he had reasons to suspend mobile phone services and “it is evident that when this decision is imposed, no incident of killing or other sabotage activity occurs that day”.
Malik once again appealed to parliament to enact anti-terrorism law and claimed that the passage of the law would help control 50 percent of terrorist activities, adding that he had also requested the House to provide him an opportunity for an in-camera briefing. He said killings in Karachi and Quetta and statement of Indian services chiefs were not a probability “but there is a theory of certainty”.
The interior minister said he did not mean to hurt anybody from his previous statement because he believed “everybody here is patriotic and peace loving”.
Malik also asked the House to form a committee to whom he could show the statement and videos of those arrested. “I am talking facts. I never meant to terrorize anybody. I said what I was informed by intelligence agencies.”
