Lacking method
The government has been hinting about approaching London regarding MQM for a while now. And so it is now; Ch Nisar is, once again, preparing a draft to share with Downing Street. The latest breach is the Nato invitation, of course. But Altaf bhai has been accused of much worse. The RAW link, for example, which came up twice. Then – one of the many times push came to shove – DG ISPR vowed to move court. Yet little of consequence happens each time, despite the accusations, counter-accusations and promises of stern action.
Part of the problem is, perhaps, that the authorities took the eye off the ball with regard to the Karachi operation. Few people had any problems as long as the targets remained confined to al Qaeda, TTP and the notorious Lyari gangs. But things naturally become complicated when the circle was expanded to include political militancy, especially because it did not include all parties, as initially promised. MQM was roughed up, but others were spared, particularly PPP, whose co-chairman’s outburst against the military is already a thing of the past. It is inevitable in this confusion that the more important action against militants is compromised.
The need for restoring normalcy to Karachi cannot be stressed enough. In addition to militancy, violence, kidnappings, killings, extortion, etc, the port city and financial centre is also crippled with power shortages and is literally without water. Rangers should, therefore, reset their strategy and parameters for the operation. Militancy of the TTP and AQ mould must be given preference. And armed wings of political parties must be shut down immediately. But it is important for the axe to come down fairly on all parties found in violation of the law. More importantly, the practice of promising strong action than turning away sets a dangerous precedent for the government. It must be willing to walk the talk. Those insulting important institutions must be checked in accordance with the law. Considering the momentum of Zarb-e-Azb and the newfound motivation in Punjab, ‘cleaning up’ the south is more important now than ever.
