With violence due to political vendettas claiming the lives of innocent civilians daily in Karachi, the government of Pakistan has resorted to targeted killings to abate the hysteria. While some believe that the Karachi Operation that begun in early September did bring down the violence, others are much more skeptical and do not believe that such operations could bring about any meaningful change in the situation.
KARACHI
The spokesman of Sindh police, Inspector Atique Shaikh said “Chiefly, the involvement of the military wings of political parties is an open secret”, when asked to describe the lingering violence that has plagued the socio-economic life of Karachi for years now.
Many political parties, particularly the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), also feel that the Pakistan People’s Party is trying to take political mileage out of the administrative measures referred to as Karachi operation, in order to tilt the balance in its favor in the upcoming local government elections next month.
The Rangers-led targeted operation, kick-started on September 5, against target killers, terrorists, extortionists and kidnappers for ransom, and is believed to have improved the overall law and order situation in the city.
BLOODY NUMBERS
According to official figures, politically-motivated targeted killings and kidnapping for ransom in Karachi decreased by 65%, during September 5 to Dec 4.
As the Karachi operation enters the fourth month, the police have so far arrested some 10,687 criminals of which 3,312 are absconders and 342 are proclaimed offenders.
During the 513 encounters, the law enforcers raided 6,687 to recover from the possession of criminals a huge cache of light and heavy weapons including 72 assault rifles (AK-47 etc), 2,475 hand guns (pistols, revolvers etc), 3 light machine guns (LMGs), 42 rifles, 86 shot guns (repeaters etc) and 116 hand grenades.
This enabled the law enforcers during the past three months to mitigate the incidents of targeted killings in the city to 241, down by 65% compared to the preceding three months ranging from May 28 to Sept 4.
The number of kidnapping for ransom cases also shows 27.2% decrease having shrunk to 24 incidents as against 33 in the past three months.
According to the Sindh Police spokesman Inspector Shaikh, the above figures are based on registered cases lodged by the city police during September 5 to December 10. He claims “We had focused more on targeted killings, extortions, kidnapping for ransom and other heinous crimes that were disturbing citizens the most. The difference in law and order on ground is significant.”
BACK TO SQUARE ONE
The city traders, the primary target of violence in the country’s financial hub, believe that the operation has had a positive impact. Atiq Mir, the President of All Karachi Tajir Ittehad, says that except from the Old City Area, Pak Colony, Sher Shah and Metroveil, business activities in about 90 percent of the city markets were back to normal.
Mir estimates the loss of a single day business closure in Karachi, forced or scheduled, to be at least at Rs 3.5 billion.
“The operation should continue or we would go back to the pre-Sep 4 mayhem,” Mir claims. This statement of AKATI chief, representing about 300 markets of the city, speaks volume about how vulnerable the impact of Karachi operation is.
WEAK PROSECUTION
The founder of Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), Jameel Yousaf is positive about the ‘right’ direction of the Karachi operation. However, being a security expert, he sees a pressing need for the introduction of legislative and judicial reforms in the country. “It is about upholding the rule of law. The prosecution department is weak. This is war on terror. You need to amend the laws. You need more and more trials,” he said.
The former CPLC chief also laments that the authorities are yet to materialize their much-awaited plan to start close-camera court trails.
POLITICKING
With law enforcement agencies claiming to have achieved some important milestones in restoring peace in the volatile city, the political parties in opposition smell a rat in the intentions of PPP-led Sindh government which, Khwaja Izharul Hassan of MQM alleges, is using Karachi operation to influence the results of forthcoming local body polls in the MQM-dominated city.
MQM’s member of provincial assembly in Sindh points a finger at his former ruling allies in Sindh and center for carrying out a targeted operation that is politically-motivated. “We want it to be transparent rather than serving agenda of a certain party,” Hassan said.
He alleges that by its unwarranted interference the Sindh government is putting to question the credibility of the ongoing operation and the results of forthcoming local body election. “At least 40 of our party members arrested are missing.”, Hassan exclaims.
This arrestment of ‘innocent’ people, the MQM leader opines, has rendered the masses to be paranoid having no confidence in the government and law enforcement agencies.
Reiterating his party’s all-out support to the LEAs ‘in their act against criminals’, Hassan says that his party, using the people’s mandate it has, would never allow some ‘influential’ persons to take political mileage out of Karachi operation.
POLITICAL PRESSURE
While PPP’s Karachi division stalwarts Abdul Qadir Patel and Najmi Alam, despite repeated attempts of this scribe, are not available to respond to these claims, Police spokesman Atique Shaikh says his department was effectively shielded by the police higher ups against any political pressures.
Terming the violence in Karachi as of political nature, the spokesman cites the repeated statements of AIG Sindh Police Shahid Hayat rubbishing all such claims. “Mr AIG has, on record, stated that no political party is pressuring him. Nor would he take any pressure,” said Shaikh.
“The Karachi operation is being carried out without any discrimination,” AIG Hayat said firmly while talking to reporters last Sunday.
TRUST DEFICIT
Despite such assertions, a deep-rooted sense of mistrust prevails among the masses, particularly regarding the police. Syed Yasir Hussain, an intermediate student from Sherpao Colony of Landhi Town, claims to have been lifted by the Quidabad police at least thrice. “Every time they would set me free only after pocketing a couple of thousands rupees,” the 20-year-old clams.
Yasir, however, lauds the Rangers’ role that, he fears, is being undermined by the “black sheep” in police department who intimate the criminals whenever the paramilitary force readies to raid a selected neighborhood.
On the other hand, Muhammad Wakeel, a resident of Zafar Town, District Malilr, believes that it was unrealistic to expect the law enforcers to cleanse overnight the mess that has been created during the span of years.
AIG police also talks realistically in his rare media appeances that the the level of violence in the city. Just last Sunday Hayat conceded that he never had claimed that there was crime in the metropolis no more. “Its rate has declined,” he said.
FAR FROM NORMAL
While the state of affairs around the targeted action against ‘hardened criminals’ seems dubious, especially in perceptions, what one can say for sure is the fact that the law and order situation in this city of lights seems far from normal.
Bloodletting continued in the port city even Wednesday when a guard foiled a deadly attack on an Imambargah near Khalid Bin Waleed Road by shooting dead one of the two explosive-laden women reportedly trying to enter the premises of the religious site.
It seems that as much as Karachi is trying to break free of the shackles of violence, it’s falling even greater into its writ. Perhaps the fact that violence cannot be beaten with violence stands as true here as in textbooks.
The writer is a researcher and a working journalist. He can be contacted at: [email protected].
