Govt patronising criminals allege Sindh Assembly legislators

• Legislators say govt’s support to criminals is cause of deteriorating law and order in Karachi
• PML-F MPA Mahar alleges ‘wanted thief’ was present in political gatherings with Sindh Assembly speaker and PPP Chairman Bhutto
• PPP MPAs deny political victimisation of opponents; assert govt requires more manpower and resources to improve Sindh police’s performance

The worsening law and order situation in Sindh province cannot improve till the government withdraws political support to “criminals”, said Sindh Assembly Opposition Leader Shehryar Khan Mahar.

Mahar was speaking on the floor of the assembly on Friday during an adjournment motion moved by him against the worsening law and order in Sindh province, especially district Khairpur and Karachi

The Pakistan Muslim League- Functional (PML-F) MPA showed some pictures of a “wanted thief” to the house, claiming that in the pictures the “criminals” were present in political gatherings with Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Khan Durrani and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

“The government should stop patronising such criminals to win seats,” he said and asked who was providing security to thieves in Sindh.

Mahar said that kidnapping for ransom has become an industry in Sindh. He said police and administrative officers are being posted and removed on political grounds. He alleged that the main focus of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is also on the Karachi operation while there is no one to take notice of lawlessness in interior Sindh.

He warned that giving “political support to criminals” in Sindh would result in serious consequences regarding law and order. He asked to end the “political victimisation of opponents”.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM)’s Waqar Shah said new police mobiles are available for VIP duties whereas the police mobiles available in police stations are old and faulty. He said that people belonging to the Hindu minority are migrating to India due to lawlessness. He said whole Sindh feels fear and harassment due to growing crime and the citizens avoid travelling after sunset.

Meanwhile, PPP’s Dr Sikandar Shoro defended the provincial government saying that it is taking brave steps to improve law and order in the province. He said that the present provincial government is focussing on improving law and order.

“But more manpower and resources are still required to further improve the performance of Sindh police,” he added.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s Sorath Thebo said law-abiding citizens in Sindh have no security of life and property. She claimed that criminal elements even enter the Sindh Secretariat and threaten government employees.

“How can the common man get security when even secretariat employees are being harassed,” she questioned, adding that the performance of the sitting government in law and order sector is dismal and that the government should take serious efforts if it really wanted to give citizens peace.

PPP’s Manzoor Hussain Wassan denied the government’s involvement in any type of political victimisation of its opponents, adding that on the contrary, PPP leaders and workers – including him – were politically victimised by opponents.

“In Karachi, the main cause of crime is land grabbing and in interior Sindh the main cause is the wadera (landlord) rule,” he said, adding that the present government has been introducing reforms in jails.

MQM’s Rashid Khilji said that the government claims all is well but the real situation is just opposite. He said targeted killing has been continuing but the target killers are not being arrested. He said raw wine is being sold with impunity and gambling dens are being run in patronage of “black sheep in the police”. He suggested that police officers be appointed on merit to control crime.

PML-F’s Waryam Faqeer said the thieves enjoy a free hand and the sitting government is reluctant to take action against them. He said that the runners of illegal wine dens have become leaders and police officials financially depend on bribes collected from them.

PPP’s Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the crime ratio is on the rise and admitted that the performance of police must be improved. He said illegal immigrants are also one of the factors behind the rising crime. He said illegal Afghans living in country were purchasing properties but there is no check and balance on such activities.

MQM’s Abdur Rauf Siddiqui said that not only individuals, but also organisations and government departments have been facing serious consequences of the rise in crime.

“The rulers must make sincere efforts to control crime,” he said.

The police is avoiding lodging FIRs to improve its image, he added while suggesting that every FIR should be lodged and though it would raise the crime graph but in the long run this record of crime would help in elimination of crime. He said that a huge bribery is being carried out in the name of Karachi operation.

PML-F’s Mehtab Akbar Rashdi said that people do not have faith in the police that is why angry mobs burn alive captured bandits themselves. She said this street justice shows that the citizens have lost all hope of justice from the State. She said that after Balochistan, now abandoned tortured bodies are also being found in Sindh. She asked why the Rangers’ operation is limited to Karachi and why the Rangers’ services are not being used to control the rampant crime in interior Sindh.

PML-F’s Nand Kumar decried excesses with minorities. He said Hindus in Sindh are braving killings and kidnapping of their daughters and called for serious efforts to protect citizens, especially minorities.

MQM’s Erum Farooq said crime is on the rise in Sindh but the rulers were in a state of denial.

MQM’s Syed Sardar Ahmed said lawlessness is an old issue and no government has ever taken serious efforts to control crime. He said that government departments including police should be strengthened.

“Instead of these debates, a house committee should be formed to submit periodical and practical suggestions to improve the law and order in Sindh province, he suggested.

PPP’s Sharjeel Memon said that law and order situation is the problem of whole of Sindh. He said the crime ratio increased in the martial law eras. He said the government accepts hundred percent responsibility of the situation and is also taking steps to improve the law and order situation. He said the federal government is not taking steps to register all mobile phone SIMs. He said the sitting government would not allow anyone to take law in their hand and go for street justice. He said a lot of cases including terrorism cases are pending with courts and they should be expedited. He said many innocent people have been murdered in Mahar-Jatoi tribal clash and asked who was responsible for those deaths.

Speaker Durrani suggested that a whole day should be allocated to discuss the law and order situation and Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah should wind up the discussion. The treasury and opposition benches agreed to the suggestion and it was decided to hold the debate on Monday or Tuesday or some other day when the CM would attend the House.

Earlier, when the House met at 10:30 am instead of its scheduled time of 10:00am only three members were present.

MQM members strongly protested against Sindh Assembly Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza. They said that a day earlier, while snubbing a MQM lawmaker, Raza had used language not fit to be used in the Parliament. They demanded that she should tender an apology and raised slogans of “Go Shehla Go” till the speaker assumed his chair.

The speaker assured the MQM MPAs that Raza’s disputed words had already been expunged from the record of the assembly proceeding.

Later, the House was adjourned till 10 am on Monday.