While the Rangers and police are being targeted in Karachi, it appears that there “is no writ of the government”.

This was stated by adviser to the Sindh chief minister on special education and general secretary of the PML-F Sindh, Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh on Sunday when he was asked to comment on the law and order situation in Karachi, particularly target killings.

He suggested that it would be better that a new Sindh home minister be inducted. “The chief minister has all other responsibilities.”

It may be noted that Home Minister Manzoor Wassan was removed and since then, the portfolio is with the chief minister.

Imtiaz said there could be no short-cut solution to the Karachi crisis and stressed the need for a long-term solution entailing action against terrorists and criminals without any discrimination.

Imtiaz said political considerations and affiliations should be kept aside while arresting the criminals.

He said Rangers and police should be given a free hand to arrest terrorists and political interference need to be stopped once and for all.

The PML-F leader suggested that police transfers and postings should be carried out on merit, and underlined the need for close coordination among police, Rangers, and intelligence agencies.

He said proper action purely on the basis of merit needed to be taken if the situation of Karachi had to be improved.

He further said due to the worsening law and order situation, there was flight of capital from the city.

Imtiaz said investors were taking their money abroad, and no one was prepared to invest in the country.

He said traders had lost confidence in the government . As such, he said, the economy of the country is in a shambles.

When asked about the new local government system, Imtiaz said he was not aware of the current situation regarding the consensus between the PPP and the MQM on the issue.

He said a month back, he had seen that both parties were divided and were poles apart on the issue.

He said despite being a coalition partner, PML-F was not taken into confidence on various policies.

He further said at present there was no hope of consensus between the two parties.

When asked about the Muttahida’s proposal to hold an all-parties conference or round table conference to steer the country out of crises, he said tso far the MQM had not contacted the PML-F, but if it did, then Pir Sahib Pagara would finally decide on the matter.

PML-Q central leader and adviser to Sindh chief minister on relief, Halim Adil Sheikh, told The News that target killings in Karachi should be controlled by the government on a war-footing basis.

He said the killings indicated ethnic tendencies which, he said, were very dangerous.

He reiterated that Rangers were a liability on Sindh and should be sent back as “how could they save the citizens when they were unable to save themselves?”

Halim said the government should also deal with extortionists.

Talking to The News from his hometown, PML-N Sindh President Syed Ghous Ali Shah said it was the duty of the government to provide security to each and every citizen, in which they have miserably failed.

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) spokesman Sarfaraz told The News that the only solution to Karachi’s law and order problem and target killings was to “hold the elections as early as possible”.