To each his own
The Karachi Operation was initiated with the consent of all the stakeholders by the incumbent government but one can witness that the said Operation has faced many difficulties since its inception. At one stage, Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) has raised its voice against the Operation and extrajudicial killings being carried out in the city. This time, it is the ruling party of province that has some grievances over the powers of Rangers.
Karachi, a city of over 20 million people, has been engulfed in target killings and kidnappings for ransom since long. A wave of terrorism also surfaced in the city in past some years and Karachi was considered a stronghold of terrorists, which has detrimental consequences for the economic hub of the country. The civilian and military leadership had decided to get rid of the city from the monster of terror by launching a rigorous strategic operation in the metropolitan. The ruling party of the province, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), has started thinking that the focus of the Operation has shifted towards corruption and the party is being victimised in this regard. The Chief Minister (CM) of Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, who was declared as the captain of Karachi operation by the prime minister himself, has shown his serious reservations over the Operation. He has also accused the Director General (DG) Rangers of interfering in the affairs of the civil government. He has said at more than one stage that federal institutions are also meddling in the affairs of provincial governments. It is being said that this animosity between federal and provincial government started just after the arrest of Dr Asim Hussain, who is considered as a close confidant of former president Asif Ali Zardari.
There are a lot of corruption scams in Punjab but no one is serious about paying heed to them. The sleeper cells of terrorists are also present in Punjab but they are completely unnoticed
Taj Haider, a veteran leader and senator of PPP from Sindh, told DNA that Dr Asim is a heart patient and he is being treated unethically in the confinement.
“It seems that Sindh is like a colony and everyone tries its best in order to invade it”, he commented. He was very critical towards the establishment as he said that the real corruption is committed by this very establishment. He was of the view that the incumbent government has come into power by riding on the shoulders of the Taliban and the establishment. He further added that now the government is paying back to its benefactors by napping the PPP. Answering to a question about Governor Rule in Sindh he said that it has become nearly impossible to impose Governor Rule in any province after the passage of the 18th amendment.
“We have learnt from our experience that Governor Rule is not a good option”, he commented.
He said in a clear reference to Asif Ali Zardari that it is a practice in Pakistan that we confine a person in jail for as many as 11 years but not a single charge was proved and the same is being done with Dr Asim.
“There are a lot of corruption scams in Punjab but no one is serious about paying heed to them. The sleeper cells of terrorists are also present in Punjab but they are completely unnoticed”, he concluded.
Senator Nasreen Jalil of MQM told DNA that Rangers must be given authorities as the Karachi operation has not achieved its goal yet. She was of the view that instead of defending personalities, we must strengthen our institutions.
“The Operation was initiated on our demands and a monitoring committee was also made to pay heed to our grievances when we raised the issue on the floor of the Assembly”, she commented.
The Sindh government should also constitute such a committee to sort out its grievances. When asked about the possibility of Governor Rule, she said that provincial and federal governments should avoid going to that extent and also added that these are her personal views; not of MQM as her party will issue the official statement in days to come.
The provincial president of Awami National Party (ANP) in Sindh Shahi Syed told DNA that the provincial government, federal government and military establishment are not at the same page in Karachi. He was of the view that the situation of Balochistan has improved drastically as all the stakeholders were at the same age in that province.
The party that came to power in Sindh for two successive terms is facing the music these days. The leader of opposition in the National Assembly has declared that the war will go on with the incumbent government
“Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan is saying that he has the video tape of Dr Asim Hussain which contains the enough material for his indictment. If he actually owns such a tape then why is he trying to hide it? He must disclose it in front of everyone”, Shahi Syed commented. He was of the view that accountability must be executed across the board and we must refrain ourselves from political vendettas.
Nehal Hashmi, a senator from ruling PML-N who also hails from Karachi, told DNA that Karachi operation is heading in the right direction as the crime rate in the city has been decreased significantly. He said that deadlock is a part of politics but we’ll overcome it in the coming days.
“The Chief Minister of Sindh is a good captain of Karachi operation but he is facing acute pressure from his cabinet and higher leadership of not giving extension to the powers of Rangers”, he opined.
He further added that everyone plays his cards in politics and Ch Nisar Ali Khan did the same by talking about the video of Dr Asim.
“Ch Nisar is an upright, responsible and efficient minister who is running his ministry diligently. We can produce the video tape in the court also at an appropriate time”, Nehal Hashmi said.
He was of the view that it was an administrative matter and CM could give extension to rangers’ powers by using his own discretion.
The party that came to power in Sindh for two successive terms is facing the music these days. The leader of opposition in the National Assembly has declared that the war will go on with the incumbent government. The fate of Dr Asim Hussain and the extension of rangers’ power is unclear till now.
