Need for a probe
There can be no two opinions about the need to take the criminals to justice irrespective of their political affiliations. Nothing, however, should be done that makes lawbreakers look like innocent victims. After the start of the operation in Karachi a number of target killers and extortionists claiming allegiance to political parties were taken into custody or died fighting the LEAs. The PPP supported the operation in Lyari despite the area being the party’ stronghold. On the other hand the MQM protested whenever action was taken against anyone associated with it.
Karachi being the industrial hub of the country, extra care is needed before taking any action to ensure that there are no negative repercussions for the national economy. The recent raid on Nine Zero has led to the closure of Karachi and several other cities in Sindh, causing economic losses and suffering to the common man. The Rangers maintain that several hardened criminals were nabbed during the raid and illegal weapons recovered. Couldn’t the operation be planned in a way that achieved its purpose without hassle to the two-million residents of the city, caused by the strike by transporters and closure of market places? Couldn’t the criminals be nabbed before they reached the MQM headquarters? Once they had reached there, couldn’t the MQM be told to hand them over to the LEAs? The party claims it would have acceded to demands of the sort.
Explanations are needed not only from the Rangers but also from the MQM. The party has to clarify the presence of wanted criminals, including the man sentenced in Wali Khan Babar’s case, on its premises. It has also to explain why its leaders have issued contradictory statements about the weapons recovered, one maintaining that they were duly licensed and stored at Nine Zero after threats from al Qaeda and TTP, while the other claiming they were in fact planted by the agencies to malign the party. There is a need, therefore, for an impartial probe into the affair.