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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Karachi operation not against MQM

Aapas ki Baat...Sethi says judicial commission be formed to quell sectarianism

By our correspondents
January 31, 2015
LAHORE: Senior analyst Najam Sethi has said that banning the sectarian outfits has brought about no change.
Talking to Aapas ki Baat host Muneeb Farooq on Geo News, he said bloodshed and infighting among Muslims is causing weakening of Muslims and strengthening of non-Muslims. Commenting on Shikarpur tragedy, he said it is a conspiracy which has been hatched and carried out by Muslims themselves. Sethi said Shia and Sunni sects have emerged as big stakeholders in the strife. He said the Punjab is the center of sectarian outfits but sectarianism is found in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa also. Sethi said a judicial commission should be formed to take action against these outfits and people should be acquainted with what is happening. The ace analyst said that sectarianism can be rooted out if rulers become resolved.
He said one aspect of National Action Plan is military-related in which army has its role alongside the police. Military intelligence officials have started working in the CCPO offices throughout the country in order to use military rapid force in case of any act of terrorism, Sethi said and regretted that army should not be involved at such vast scale.
Sethi supported MQM’s demand for transfer of power through local government elections. The extortion money collected in Karachi is huge enough to alleviate all problems of the country if paid as tax. He said MQM is the biggest militant party in Karachi along with JI, ANP and PPP which are jointly responsible for turmoil in Karachi.
He denied that operation in Karachi is targeted against the MQM. If its workers are being arrested because it is the biggest party in the city and naturally its workers will be arrested in the operation. He said there is war for power and money in Karachi. The federal institutions will not carry out any discriminatory action, instead their only target is criminal people. He said MQM’s complaint that its workers are not treated as per law is accurate but argument of federal agencies is also justified that the required procedure is not adopted because it is no longer useful. He said it is like a quagmire.
Sethi said on the one hand Altaf Hussain is demanding imposition of martial law and on the other hand he gets offended when action is taken by generals and ISI officers against the MQM. It means that Altaf wants to get soft corner by making demand for martial law. Sethi said national institutions do not like Altaf Hussain’s politics based on racial prejudice and accord it importance only when required and make it tight otherwise. He said Nawaz Sharif has visited Karachi nine times for the sake of peace.
He said Altaf Hussain is under pressure of money laundering case in London and recently the Scotland Yard has written a strict letter to the foreign ministry to get custody of two persons involved in murder of Altaf Hussain. MQM fears that it is a conspiracy to implicate Altaf Hussain or his aides. He said the Scotland Yard has also called for some businessmen to make grilling about transfer of money to their accounts.
Commenting on resignation of former Punjab governor Chaudhry Sarwar, Sethi said Sarwar was not happy at becoming governor. He thought that he would launch public welfare works such as providing potable water and in the education sector but he was not given chance.
He said Punjab chief minister is a jealous person and does not bear popularity of anybody. That is why, he prefers to get his jobs done by bureaucrats instead of ministers. Shahbaz Sharif did not want Chaudhry Sarwar to come forward for any welfare work. Chaudhry Sarwar never commented about Sharif brothers and but kept expressing his disappointment, Sethi said and added now it was time for the governor to decide. Sethi added that Sarwar will not join any political party and will head for Britain and decide about his next option after return from there. He said many people are sick of all political parties and are in search of persons who join them to form a new party.