Karachi violence: Call to set up anti-terrorism courts

our correspondent
Lahore: Special anti-terrorism courts should be set up in Karachi and a massive operation is need of the hour to save the city from criminal elements.

These were views of the participants at a discussion organised by Jang Forum on the topic of 'Karachi operation and the reality behind it' held on Wednesday. The speakers were senior lawyer SM Masood, Balochistan former IG Chaudhary Muhammad Yaqoob, Gen (Retd) Naseer Akhter and Jamaat-e-Islami General Secretary Liaquat Baloch. Iftikhar Ahmed and Aslam Javed hosted the event.

SM Masood said the problem of Karachi was not merely administrative so there was a need to find political solution to it. He said the perception that Mohajir people were a nation and they were being cornered was not true, adding that Mohajir could not be considered as a nation in any part of the world.

He said that at the time of Partition, most of the immigrants from Utter Pardesh and Central Province (UP and CP) settled in Karachi but they didn't accept any other nation which came to this city which, as a result, gave rise to differences.

Besides, he said the decision of settling all the 'Mohajir' to one place wasn't right and they should have been settled in the entire parts of the country where they could have mixed up with other people of the country.

Demanding ban on the parties involved in extortion and terrorism, SM Masood said courts in any part of the world were not considered as a means to solve problems, rather they only gave verdicts, adding that the political matters should be sorted out politically.

SM Masood said that from 1996 to 2010, 603 police officials, majority of those who had taken part in the 1992 operation, were killed in Karachi. Commenting on the shocking revelations by President Zardari's close aide Dr Zulfiqar Mirza about the MQM, SM Masood said the ordinary steps or reforms were not going to give any solution to Karachi issue so 'real' operation was needed.

He said that by giving Karachi under the control of one specific political party would also not give any solution and all the parties needed to work as political forces and find solution. Karachi former Corps Commander Gen (Retd) Naseer Akhter said political will was needed to steer Karachi out of the prevailing chaos. He said all the major stakeholders of Karachi had to take practical steps.

He stated that it was a general demand to hand over Karachi to army but relying on Rangers was a positive step and now its powers should be increased. He also said that under the current circumstances, Rangers should have its own intelligence system while investigation system also needed to be improved. He said it was true that courts had very important role to play and special courts should be set up but the question still existed as to where the courts would receive witnesses without which they couldn't do anything?

Chaudhary Muhammed Yaqoob said temporary arrangement could never give any solution to the problems. He said in that past, as a move against Abdul Sattar Afghanai and the PPP, a dictator formed the MQM and now this party had captured Karachi just like Taliban who wanted to gain control of the entire country. He said, similarly, calling army or Rangers to Karachi would be an ad hoc step and the better option to maintain peace in Karachi was to empower the police.

He said the anti-terrorism courts should be set up but the situation couldn't improve unless the police was empowered. Liaquat Baloch said law should be the same for all but unfortunately in Karachi, innocent citizens were falling victim to target killings and political parties as well as administration seemed helpless in solving the problem. Supporting concrete measures to solve the Karachi problem but without calling in army, he stated the use of military would cause further stress and paramilitary forces should be used to restore peace of the city. Endorsing the decision of Supreme Court of setting up anti-terrorist courts in Karachi, Liaquat Baloch said the political patronising of criminal elements should be ended and political forces should expel such elements.

He said Zulfiqar Mirza had mustered courage to expose reality but he himself was under threat. He requested the SC to take notice of the situation. The JI leader also said that the hint towards conspiracy of splitting federation on part of the US should be taken seriously. Besides, he also stated that the powers of Rangers director general should also be increased. He said the government had to come up with 'test cases' to save the city from chaos.