- Sharif lauds security agencies for bringing down crime rate in port city significantly, says operation not targeted against any specific party
- Offers federal govt’s full support in drive against criminals, tells Sindh CM to focus on prosecution of criminals
- Says govt considering complete deweaponisation of Pakistan
- Govt wants MQM to return to assemblies
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said that Karachi’s law and order situation has significantly improved since the operation was initiated two years ago, and vowed that the anti-crime campaign would continue with the same zeal to bring peace back to the port city.
He also said that the operation was not targeted against any particular party, a claim the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) Dr Farooq Sattar rejected in a press meet at Nine-Zero later in the evening.
“After two years, there has been marked improvement in the law and order situation,” the premier claimed in the press conference after chairing the National Apex Committee meeting.
“Targeted killings, extortion, kidnapping for ransom and other crimes have reduced to a great extent,” he added.
Further, the prime minister vowed to make the Karachi operation successful at all costs and offered any kind of assistance for eliminating terrorism out of the city. “I am ready to provide any kind of assistance to the targeted operation being carried out in Karachi as I want it to succeed at all costs,” the premier said.
Sharif lauded the efforts of Rangers, police, intelligence agencies and the political administration in bringing peace back to the city.
Furthermore, the prime minister claimed that the terrorists’ capability to carry out attacks has ended; however, they are trying hard to keep their existence in the city by carrying out some attacks.
“The Karachi operation is not against any political party,” Sharif clarified, adding that all the political parties were present at the time when Karachi operation was being decided.
APEX COMMITTEE MEETING:
Earlier, the prime minister chaired the high-level National Apex Committee meeting at the Governor’s House to review the Karachi’s law and order situation.
Director General Sindh Rangers Major-General Bilal Akbar and the Sindh chief secretary briefed the participants of the meeting on the overall security situation of the metropolitan city.
“Karachi witnessed trade activities up to Rs 70 billion on Eid and Rs 5 billion on the independence day,” DG Rangers told the PM, claiming that the rise in trade activities is due to increasing peace and stability.
However, Maj Gen Akbar expressed his displeasure at the release of a wanted terrorist whom the Rangers had handed in police custody for involvement in the Safoora Goth killings. The revelation surprised the PM and he directed CM Shah to enquire into the matter.
Meanwhile, intelligence officials presented the initial enquiry report into the terrorist attack on Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) MNA Rashid Godil.
The premier showed his displeasure over malfunctioning of CCTV cameras in Karachi, adding that those involved in the installation of substandard cameras should be punished. Further, PM Sharif directed the Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah to improve the level of prosecution in the province.
Shah told the PM that the provincial government was fully focused on restoring peace in the city. “The Sindh government has also given cash awards to intelligence agencies for performing so well,” the CM Sindh told the PM during the meeting. “We have given away Rs 50 million to those who helped security agencies arrest wanted criminals,” he added.
The prime minister directed Sindh government officials to focus on the de-weaponisation of the province. “All provinces should be de-weaponised.”
Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Sindh Home Minister Suhail Anwar Sial, Corps Commander Karachi Lt-General Naveed Mukhtar, Sindh Chief Secretary, Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif, Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali and officials of police and intelligence agencies were present during the meeting.
MEETING WITH PARSI COMMUNITY:
Reiterating the government’s commitment to purge the country of menace of terrorism, Prime Minister Sharif said it would go for “complete deweaponization” to realize this objective.
“We will not tolerate terrorism in any way. And we will even go for complete deweaponization of Pakistan”, he said while addressing a reception hosted in his honour by the Parsi community of Karachi.
The PM referred to the decisions made during a meeting on law and order, which he chaired earlier in the day, and said the ongoing operation in the metropolis would not be stopped and would continue till the elimination of every kind of crime.
Referring to the resignations of MQM, he said that the PML-N as well as other political parties were not happy over the MQM’s resignations.
He said despite differences with PTI, the government requested the MQM and JUI-F leaders to withdraw their motion from the National Assembly, moved for deseating the MNAs of PTI.
“It is not a matter of anybody’s person, but we should think about the interest of whole country and nation,” the PM said and added that the government was taking all the political forces along on all issues of national importance.
