The killing of two leaders and an activist of the Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM) by unidentified armed men on a main highway points to a complete breakdown of law and order in Sindh. The incident triggered protests and strikes in the interior of the province on Friday and the subsequent police action on the party workers may lead to more anger and violence.
The JSMM leaders were on their way to Sanghar when their car came under attack near Khipro. There were conflicting reports about the incident. The police, as usual, declared the triple murder a result of political rivalry with the DPO Sangahr claiming that a double-cabin vehicle from which the shots were fired had been following its target for the last two days. If so, did the police try to check the criminals? Most probably not. The DPO’s statement was contradicted by nationalist leaders who alleged that their colleagues were assassinated by the law enforcement agencies. Three days ago, another JSMM activist was gunned down in Dadu shortly after he informed the local media that he had been receiving life threats. Some media reports indicated that the administration had constantly been accusing the JSMM of carrying out subversive activities across the province. If true, then the matter needs to be properly investigated and those found guilty must be punished.
Those committing crime against the state deserve no sympathy. But at the same time the police cannot be given a licence to kill the people on the mere suspicion of their involvement in anti-state activities. The responsibility of maintaining law and order in Sindh is primarily that of the provincial government but it is equally important for the federal government to play its role in preventing the predominantly PPP stronghold from sliding into chaos. It should be kept in mind that the recurrence of such incidents can have a terrible backlash as witnessed in Balochistan in the past where covert operations by intelligence and law-enforcement agencies gave a further boost to separatist tendencies.
