Karachi violence case: Contradictions and a lack of Armored Personnel Carriers

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry showed discontent over the Karachi violence investigation report submitted by the chief secretary and IG Sindh on Thursday.

He further said that all ammunition and drugs are smuggled in the country through KarachiPort and the weapons from Nato containers have spread throughout the country.

“Ammunitions earlier caught from Balochistan were also linked from Karachi. Around 19,000 containers containing weapons are missing and being used in the province,” said the Chief Justice.

The Supreme Court issued a notice to customs chief collector and asked him to appear before the court.

During the hearing today, the Sindh Advocate General elaborated that 20 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) were requested for the province from the federal ministry, but ministry officials had refused to issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC).

In response to this, the Chief Justice demanded a reason for the refusal and stated that the case has been pending for the last five months, indicating that the federal ministry seemed uninterested in the matter. He further held the federal ministry responsible for ongoing violence in the city.

Later during the day, Sindh Government decided to purchase 20 APCs for Karachi which are aimed to assist the under-discussion targeted operation in the city. The federal ministry has also issued the NOC on this agreement.

The Chief Justice also expressed concern over the contradictory statements from the IG Sindh over the existence of ‘no-go’ areas in the city. He asked why the federal government had yet to assist in the matter, when assistance had been sought.

The Chief Justice also stated that the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) was not functioning effectively under the supervision of the Sindh Governor House and Prime Minister House.

He demanded a list of provincial problems from the Sindh Advocate General so that they could be presented to the cabinet.