Political and security analysts have been blaming Sind police for being politicised and failing to perform their basic duty of maintaining law and order and poor prosecution of criminals.
The unfortunate bitter reality is that by 1996, the police under leadership of Naseerullah Babar had successfully clamped down on criminals, kidnappers, target killers and extortionists. Operation Blue Fox led by Sind Police and Pakistan Rangers, planned by FIA, IB was launched in 1992 by PM Nawaz and pursued by PM Benazir in 1993 till its logical conclusion in 1994. This operation was carried out by a responsible civilian government with no links to criminals successfully cleansed Karachi with joint cooperation of GHQ.
Fast forward to Musharraf tenure when 600 of these police officers were systematically murdered by target killers for carrying out their duties by a powerful ethnic based political party which was an ally of military dictator. Vacancies in police were offered as favor to Musharraf’s political allies, who filled them with criminals and party activists, owing loyalty to their godfathers. Criminal economy became a Billion Dollar industry with target killers based in South Africa, Canada, Thailand etc with links to RAW entering and exiting country without any documentation and money transferred to foreign safe havens where godfather lived. After NRO, negotiated between Musharraf Junta and Zardari led PPP, this criminal economy gained further lease of life with over 8000 of them getting a clean chit for heinous crimes committed.
The coalition government that ruled Sind from 2009 onward patronised criminals, and another 200 police officers were eliminated by target killers for performing their constitutional duties. Police morale and professionalism became victim of criminal economy, destroying Sind. Unless those responsible for cold blooded murder of police officers, traders, journalists like Wali Babar, Baldia Factory massacre, 12 May etc are given exemplary punishments, crime will continue to haunt Sind and rest of Pakistan. Recruitment in police must be cleansed of political nominees and vacancies filled strictly through merit. The solution to Sind’s lawlessness is not subjecting it to military rule, but good governance through merit based appointments, accountability with no compromises on rule of law, whatever the political cost. Constitution does not give power to elected government to patronise crime, but only deliver to people that which constitution guarantees them.
Malik Tariq Ali
Lahore
