Sacrifices, targets won’t be allowed to go waste: PM

KARACHI: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Monday that the targets achieved and sacrifices rendered in the Karachi targeted operation would not be allowed to go to waste as the people of the port city were satisfied with the outcome of the operation.
The prime minister expressed these views while chairing a high-level meeting held here at the Sindh Governor’s House to review the law and order situation of the province with special focus on the security matters of Karachi.
The relevant top civilian and military leadership was in attendance, including Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, Karachi Corps Commander Lt General Naveed Mukhtar, chief of Inter-Services Intelligence Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, Director-General of the Sindh Rangers Major General Bilal Akbar, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Inspector-General of Sindh Police Ghulam Hyder Jamali, Sindh Chief Secretary Muhammad Siddique Memon, Sindh Additional Chief Secretary for Home Department Muhammad Waseem and others.
The civilian and military leadership was unanimous about taking all the required steps to bring the ongoing targeted operation against terrorists in Karachi to a logical conclusion and no impediment would be tolerated in this regard while the operation had to continue till the elimination of the last terrorist.
The meeting resolved that the Sindh Rangers would continue with their services to further the targeted operation against terrorism in Karachi and for thispurpose the paramilitary force would keep enjoying itself all the operational powers for taking action against criminal elements.
The prime minister directed the authorities concerned to ensure early arrest of all the terrorists and lawless elements identified by Joint Investigation Teams (comprising officials of intelligence and law-enforcement agencies) in the probe reports while in this regard facilitators, financiers, and patrons of terrorists’ outfits should also be brought to justice.
The PM said that prosecution system of the government should be reformed and in this regard recommendations and decisions of provincial apex committee should be implemented on speedy basis so that criminal cases against terrorists and criminals would be disposed of in trial courts expeditiously in accordance with the law.
The government officials showing slackness and negligence in doing their jobs related to investigation and prosecution in terrorism and criminal cases would be removed from their official positions, said the PM. Same would be the fate of officials showing negligence in implementing decisions of National Action Plan (NAP) against terrorism. The prime minister said that federal government and military leadership would provide fullest support to Sindh government and its law-enforcement agencies as entire military and civilian leadership had been fully united for eliminating terrorism.
The session was convened at Sindh Governor’s House to review law and order situation of the city in the backdrop that validity of special anti-terror policing powers of Sindh Rangers derived from Anti-Terrorism Act-1997 for Karachi Division only came to an end on December 5. The Sindh government of Pakistan People’s Party has been showing reluctance in extending special anti-terror authority of the Rangers. The provincial political authorities have deep skepticism and reservations in their minds regarding conduct of federal accountability, investigation, and security agencies, as what they perceived that these federal agencies often trampled upon domain of provincial autonomy while also they did their actions to cause victimisation to political opponents of the federal government.
Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan, during the meeting, raised the issue of extension required in special policing power of Sindh Rangers saying that extending such powers was necessary for success of targeted operation in Karachi.
He said that sacrifices rendered by police and Rangers in the cause of restoration of law and order had been widely appreciated while people of Karachi had been lending full support to the operation in Karachi.
Sindh CM assured participants of the meeting that the provincial government would extend special powers of Rangers in Karachi in due course of time.
CM demanded on the occasion that provincial authorities should be given access to database of National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) so that suspects and criminals involved in terrorism and criminal activities would be identified with ease.
Qaim Ali Shah said that Sindh government would induct 200 more prosecutors for ensuring speedy disposal of terrorism cases and other cases against criminals in trial courts. CM also told the meeting that 30 more anti-terrorism courts would be established in the province.
CM demanded from the federal government that Sindh police force should be given armoured personnel carriers, other latest arms, and equipment for furthering the fight against terrorists and criminals.
Sindh police chief briefed that in all 2,668 cases were being pursued at present in anti-terrorism courts while in all last six months 66 terrorism cases were disposed of in which terrorists implicated in 30 such cases were given punishment while in rest of the cases accused criminals were acquitted.
The Sindh IGP disclosed that criminals involved in recent instances of attack on Rangers mobile van in Baldia Town, resulting in killing of four Rangers personnel, and also involved in killing of two Military Police’s personnel on MA Jinnah Road had been arrested.
Addressing the meeting, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that targeted operation in Karachi had been launched in September, 2013 with consensus decision of all the political parties.
He said that due attention had not been given in the past on conditions in Karachi owing to which there had been no check on instances of extortion of money and target killings in the city taking place on menacing scale.
He said that operation in Karachi against criminals and terrorists should have been launched some seven to eight years back. He said that normalcy would have completely been restored in Karachi if decision to launch targeted operation had timely been taken.
The PM said that there had been marked improvement in situation in Karachi with gradual restoration of peace as earlier businesses and industries had been shifted to other cities owing to worsening situation of the provincial metropolis.
He said that earlier meetings with prospective international investors and businessmen were held outside Pakistan while in the present day they had started visiting Karachi on their own for investment purposes.
Nawaz Sharif said that more decisions were required to be taken while all aspects had to be kept in mind for achieving the goals of operation in Karachi. In this regard, federal government would continue its support to Sindh government, police and Rangers.
He said that goals and targets of Karachi operation should be secured expeditiously while there would be no compromise on conduct and neutrality of the operation. He said that government had keeping a strict eye on the situation in Karachi as nobody would be allowed to take law in their hands and committing violence against peaceful citizens.
He said the security and intelligence agencies should review and analyse how much they had been successful in achieving targets and goals of targeted operation. These agencies should also take action against elements providing assistance and resources to the miscreants. The PM said that loopholes and drawbacks in investigation and prosecution system of government against criminals should be rectified at the earliest for a decisive change in the fight against terrorism.
The prime minister directed the CM that meetings of provincial apex committee should be held frequently for furthering the cause of National Action Plan.
The meeting decided to further improve coordination among law-enforcement agencies, provincial authorities, and concerned district administrations for speeding up implementation of National Action Plan against terrorism. The financial networks providing resources and assistance to networks of criminals would be smashed. The process of scrutinising high-profile terrorism cases for referring them to military courts would be further sped up.
The targeted operation would be launched in rest of the province to nab the criminal elements and terrorists who had escaped from operation of the LEAs in Karachi and took refuge in other parts of Sindh.
Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif has said that targeted operation being conducted in Karachi is completely apolitical, not against any particular political force while it is targeted only criminal elements.
This was reportedly stated by the COAS during the top-level meeting on law and order situation held at Sindh Governor’s House. He also attended a briefing session on security matters at Karachi’s Corps Headquarters.
The army chief said on the occasion that targeted operation in Karachi would continue till achieving its targets while the evil nexus between the terrorists and their facilitators should be smashed once for all.
The army chief said that all the security, intelligence and government agencies should improve their inter-agency relationship and coordination for maintaining peace and eliminating terrorism from the country.
General Raheel Sharif said that peaceful conduct of local government elections in the city had been ensured owing to improved situation of law and order. He appreciated achievements and services of law-enforcement agencies for improving situation in the city.
At the briefing on law and order held at Corps Headquarters, Karachi Corps Commander Lt General Naveed Mukhtar, Director-General of Inter-Service Intelligence Lt General Rizwan Akhtar and Director-General Sindh Rangers Major General Bilal Akbar were also in attendance. The corps commander and chief of Sindh Rangers briefed chief of army staff about law and order situation in the city.
Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shahi has complained to the prime minister over instances of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), other federal agencies and institutions unduly interfering in affairs of the Sindh government while federal government has been indifferent to progress on mega development projects in the province.
These reservations and complaints were conveyed as the Sindh chief minister met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif here at the Governor’s House during a top-level session to review law and order situation of the province.
The Sindh CM also complained on the occasion that massive funds promised by the federal government at the launching of targeted operation in Karachi had never been given to provincial government. While commitments made by federal authorities for revamping and modernising Sindh police force also remained unfulfilled so far.
While the Sindh chief minister complained of federal accountability, investigation, and security agencies taking action in Sindh against the concept and domain of provincial autonomy, he also demanded that these federal agencies should give prior notice to the provincial authorities concerned before taking action in the province against acts of terrorism and corruption.
Qaim Ali Shah passionately pleaded to the prime minister that he should take cognisance of the situation so that there should be no compromise on concept of provincial autonomy and interference-free working of Sindh government as guaranteed in the Constitution.
The chief minister reportedly said that he was also supportive of the cause of giving special anti-terrorism powers to the Sindh Rangers by provincial government but same powers of the paramilitary force should not be exercised against political opponents of federal government causing political victimisation.
The prime minister assured the Sindh chief minister that he would look into the complaints of the Sindh government at the personal level and would try to seek their resolution as per law.
The premier said that he would also make sure that there would be early release of funds and other resources from the Centre for helping out Sindh in materialising mega development projects and also furthering the fight against terrorism and lawlessness.
The prime minister also congratulated the chief minister on peaceful and trouble-free conduct of local government polls in Sindh in three phases.