Disbanding militant wings, ending apathy of law enforcers essential
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has put the number of citizens killed in Karachi during the last six months at 1,726 – 10 killings a day in the city of 20 million, counting together both targeted and sectarian killings. The figure is up from 1,205 during the same period last year. The spike, by 520, is enough to send chill down the spine of anyone visiting the financial capital of the country. Still scarier is the apathy of the government. The death toll is in contrast with the Rangers report submitted to the Supreme Court on Monday, which stated “the incidence of targeted killings in Karachi in the second quarter of 2013 went down as compared to those in the first quarter.” The report continued to claim: “the entire city remained peaceful during the past three months, except for Lyari where new gang warfare between activists of the Kutchhi community and gangsters of Lyari started on May 18.”
If the Rangers officials thought their fabricated report would pass through the scrutiny of the SC judges, they were in for a rude shock. The judges termed the report “eyewash” and asked the counsel for the paramilitary troops to “furnish a proper report on the progress and efforts made to restore peace during the past 15 days.” They asked the Rangers to include the details of suspects and the cases against them and queried why both the Rangers DG and Sindh IGP were missing from the hearing. First they questioned, why IGP Shahid Nadeem Baloch was not present in the hearing, and commented, “He falls sick whenever this case is taken up.” An hour later Baloch was attending a meeting at the Singh High Court. Then they questioned why the Rangers DG had not signed the report submitted to the SC, commenting: “The Rangers DG seems to have no time for signing the report.”
Law enforcers appear to be sending a clear signal: they are not serious about restoring peace to the tormented city. The SC judgment in 2011 had asked for action to eliminate militant wings of political parties instead of ‘asking’ these parties to disband them. Efforts to this effect have not even gotten off the ground yet. Meanwhile the recent escape of five under trial prisoners from ATC lockups has caused further concern. With people in Lyari already fleeing the area, the question is: where is the Sindh government? Is it complicit or is it is just afraid of the perpetrators of violence and mayhem? Karachi has bled, profusely so, for far too long without the powers that be finding an enduring solution. This needs to change, for the better. To achieve that end, it is essential that the law enforcers abandoned their comfort zone and made the purveyors of violence – be they the militant wings of political parties or other mafias – pay for their crimes. And it will not be possible until the Sindh government demonstrates political will – which it has not in the last five years or thereabouts.
