Imran Khan says Karachi’s ‘biggest problem’ is its police

• PTI chairman rules out forming alliance with ‘certified criminal’ Zardari

KARACHI: Taking jibe at the police in Sindh for rampant extrajudicial killings in the province, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Saturday that Karachi’s biggest problem is its police.

Addressing media at the Jinnah International Airport, Imran praised the police department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), where his party formed the government after the 2013 elections, and said that Aasma’s father did not ask the army chief for justice because he trusts the KP police.

Lashing out at the Sindh and Punjab’s police forces, the PTI chairman further alleged that the law enforcement force in both provinces was involved in extrajudicial killings. He alleged that Police in both the provinces was involved in extrajudicial killings.

“When police officials carry out orders to kill people, they start killing citizens on their own too,” he said.

Khan once again backed TV anchor Dr Shahid Masood’s claim regarding an international paedophile ring being involved in eight-year-old Zainab’s brutal rape and murder in Kasur, saying ‘Masood might be telling the truth’.

“There’s a huge difference between Zainab and Aasma’s cases,” he added.

Despite Khan’s statement, there were similarities reported in the two cases as minor girl Aasma was subjected to the same brutality as Zainab of Kasur. She went missing on January 13 from the Gujjar Garhi area of KP’s Mardan district and was found raped and dead the next day.

Imran told the media that deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif will be sentenced for money laundering next month. “The only difference between Nawaz and Zardari is their modus operandi,” he said.

Terming the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Zardari a ‘certified criminal’, Imran said that he cannot commit the crime of standing united with him.

Earlier on Saturday, the PTI chairman claimed on social media that the provincial government in KP had brought down the crime rate of the province by freeing the police from any political interference.  He also said that selection in KP police is based on merit through the National Testing Service (NTS).

Meanwhile, PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said that fake and staged encounters in Sindh, including Karachi, are the result of politicising of Sindh police, and the provincial government is not interested in bringing serious police reforms.

Speaking to media at the residence of PTI Sindh leader Haleem Adil Sheikh, he said Naqeebullah Mehsud was kidnapped and killed by a hooligan, donning the uniform of Sindh police. He said the police in Sindh have become politicised and it has failed to provide safety of life and property of citizens.

He said, in fact, the PPP and PML-N are the two faces of the same base coin and they have failed to serve the masses.

He said the Sindh government has been paying Rs2.5billion every year to the Rangers for maintaining law and order, however, the provincial government has failed to bring any meaningful police reforms.

He opined that the role of Zardari in Senate election is not for promoting democracy but to secure his vested interests. He said that Nawaz is involved in Rs300 billion corruption and yet he is asking why he was ousted.

He said two fake cases were lodged against PTI Sindh leader Haleem Adil because he raised voice for the rights of downtrodden people and upholding justice. He also said the Larkana rally is not cancelled but only postponed and its new date would be announced soon.

Haleem Adil Sheikh said the police are involved in the staged encounters and the police are also probing these fake encounter cases. He said we would make the killers of Naqeeb, Intizar, Maqsood and other victims accountable. He said serving the masses and upholding of law is the manifesto of the PTI.