Panelists reject martial law as solution to Karachi unrest

KARACHI: In a special Geo News transmission titled “Jeenay Do Karachi Ko” on Friday, politicians and experts ruled out the imposition of martial law for a limited time to control the law and order situation in Karachi.

“Neither temporary nor permanent, martial law is never the answer,” said Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and Sindh Education Minister Nisar Khuhro.

Answering the same question, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Farooq Sattar said the true participatory democracy is the real answer to all such problems.

“[MQM chief] did not call for martial law, but only cautioned against it,” he clarified.

On the special transmission hosted by Shahzaib Khanzada, representatives from three major political parties in Karachi were asked questions regarding the law and order situation and the effectiveness of the Karachi operation.

Panelists on the show included PPP’s Nisar Khuhro, MQM’s Farooq Sattar, Haji Adeel from the Awami National Party (ANP), as well as DIG Police Karachi West Tahir Naveed andsenior jJournalist Mazhar Abbas.

When asked if they thought martial law for a limited time could be a solution for the law and order situation in the metropolis, all panelists answered in the negative.

When asked if he thought the situation had improved since the start of the Karachi operation, DIG Karachi West Tahir Naveed said: “It has been over one year since the operation started, and if you look at the numbers, I would say that the situation has improved. Even after surveys of the public – we carried out our own survey as the media – the answer was yes.”

PPP leader Nisar Khuhro also answered in the affirmative.

“I will not say that there has been perfection, but this problem of law and order in Karachi has not been around for just 5 or 10 years but almost 20 years now. Keeping in mind that this is an industrial city, it might take time to clear the crisis that built up over the years,” he said.

“We all agree that there were several elements that contributed to this: ethnic, sectarian, political, target-killing, sniper-firing, bomb blasts, suicide blasts, extortion racket. Karachi, being a large city, has faced these problems has faced these problems at one point or the other. But these efforts in the recent past have helped somehow control the situation. Therefore, I would answer yes to the question,” he added.

Awami National Party (ANP) leader Haji Adeel said he believed the situation had somewhat improved.

Meanwhile, MQM leader Farooq Sattar and senior journalist Mazhar Abbas both believed the situation had not improved.

“I don’t think things have improved. Yes, I would have believed so if the city’s no-go areas had now been opened, but the situation remains the same,” said Mazhar Abbas.

“ If the militants have currently withheld their actions, we do not call that improvement. The point to note is that the people that the police claims to have targeted, very few of them are high-profile criminals. No, the situation has not improved,” he added.

Farooq Sattar said that there may have been some minor “temporary improvements” in some areas, such as extortion and general kidnapping for ransom crimes.

“But terror-related abductions have on the other hand increased. You will have to look at different things from all angles. So, while I might say there have been some minor improvements, I will stress that these are only temporary. Overall, the situation has not improved,” he said.