‘Govt should not yield, must hang all terrorists in public’

Karachi
The Sindh government should not yield to terrorist organisations and must hang all terrorists in public, demanded an all-party conference (APC) on Saturday.
The meeting was presided over by Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) chief Owais Noorani and Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) chief Ayaz Palijo at the former’s house.
The APC demanded purging the police force of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) loyalists and insisted that cases against all terrorists, irrespective of their party affiliation, be heard in military courts.
The meeting condemned the killings of religious and political figures in Karachi as well as the increasing militancy that has gripped the country, which resulted in the Hayatabad and Shikarpur attacks.
Nawaz League dissident Ghous Ali Shah, Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi chief Afaq Ahmed, Pakistan People’s Party’s Taj Haider and Najmi Alam, Awami National Party Sindh chief Shahi Syed, Quaid League Sindh chief Haleem Adil Sheikh and Functional League leaders shared their views on the deteriorating law and order situation.
The APC observed that the provincial government had failed in fulfilling its duty of protecting the lives and properties of citizens.
Condemning the Hayatabad attack, the meeting demanded that a joint investigation team (JIT) be formed to probe the incident.
The political leaders insisted that the JIT reports of the Boulton Market and Abbas Town attacks be made public.
They also demanded surveillance of welfare organisations, seminaries and non-governmental organisations that were, according to them, promoting militancy.
The APC insisted that members of MQM and other political parties “surrender their weapons” and “stop patronising terrorists”.
The meeting demanded that all ways and means of foreign funding for terrorist organisations be disposed of.
The leaders insisted that the cases of Hayatabad, Baldia Town factory and Peshawar school attacks be shifted to military courts.
Palijo said his party believed in the policy of non-violence and brotherhood. He said a deweaponisation campaign should be launched across Sindh to disarm people irrespective of their political affiliation.
The QAT chief said all terrorists should be arrested, convicted and punished irrespective of their political affiliation.
He said the police department must be depoliticised, adding that peace could be restored in the city if the law enforcement agencies were free of political influence.
Palijo said if the government wanted to get rid of terrorism, it should depoliticise the police and ensure that law enforcers were not appointed on political grounds. He said target killings in Karachi were the result of the government’s policy of reconciliation.
Noorani said terrorism had spread in Sindh like a cancer and no places of worship were safe from militants.
The JUP chief demanded imposing a ban on MQM and condemned party chief Altaf Hussain for “inciting terrorism”. He linked peace in Karachi with restricting Hussain’s activities.