Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on Saturday criticised the local police for the deteriorating law and order situation in the Tando Allahyar district after an MQM-P worker’s murder outside a court a day earlier.
Khalilur Rehman Khanzada, alias Bholu, was killed outside the Tando Allahyar District & Sessions Court on Friday as he was coming out after the hearing of Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party leader Altaf Jiskani’s murder case.
‘1970 agenda’
MQM-P convenor Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on Saturday condemned the murder of the party’s senior worker in Tando Allahyar, and demanded that the authorities arrest his killers immediately.
“For the past several years the MQM-P has been telling everyone that the PPP [Pakistan Peoples Party] has been following the agenda of 1970, under which the country was divided, and is still politicking under it,” Siddiqui told a news conference at the party’s headquarters.
He said the police in Tando Allahyar beat up and shelled the women who were protesting against the killing of Khanzada outside the court in broad daylight.
He claimed that police and other law enforcement agencies have been raiding the houses of their friends and relatives. “We should be told if protesting is considered terrorism under the law of Pakistan,” he said.
“Khanzada was an MQM-P worker and the sole breadwinner of six innocent daughters. Militants of a Sindhi ethnic party murdered him with the backing of the local police in the courtroom.”
Siddiqui said that so-called Sindhi nationalists have been tasked with creating hatred between the Urdu-speaking people and Sindhis living in the province. “But the MQM-P will resist such conspiracies.”
He said Khanzada and other MQM-P leaders had already voiced their concerns over the threats issued during news conferences of a Sindhi ethnic party, and it had proven true.
He also said the Sindh police are playing the role of Al-Zulfiqar. “In Karachi, the police and the dacoits don’t belong to the city, and the Sindh government has become a facilitator of the dacoits, causing a rise in street crimes in the city.”
He added that the PPP has been threatening Pakistan’s integrity and the people’s patriotism. “In the past 14 years the PPP government has destroyed the urban areas of Sindh.”
Siddiqui demanded a stop to the alleged crackdown on MQM-P workers, and arresting Khanzada’s killers. “If the terrorists aren’t arrested immediately, the entire responsibility of the public’s reaction will fall on the Sindh government,” he warned. Amir Khan, Kunwar Naveed Jamil and other MQM-P leaders also accompanied Siddiqui on the occasion.
‘Police failure’
PTI leaders stressed on the police to play an effective role in restoring peace in the Tando Allahyar district to foil the nefarious designs of some elements who allegedly want to stir up linguistic conflicts for achieving their political objectives.
Sindh Assembly opposition leader Haleem Adil Sheikh expressed concerns over poor law and order in Tando Allahyar and held the local police responsible for the deteriorating situation.
“Services of the Pakistan Rangers can also be acquired to alleviate the situation, which might worsen if appropriate measures aren’t taken at the earliest,” he suggested.
Sheikh said that an ongoing clash between two parties was not dealt with efficiently. “The tragic incident took place in court, and it shouldn’t have happened,” he lamented. He said the police have failed to control the deteriorating law and order situation.
He pointed out that the track record of the Tando Allahyar police has not been good, with a corrupt SSP appointed in the district, where the sale of narcotics and operation of gambling dens continue unabated.
He also condemned violence against women, saying that action must have been taken against those who were involved in acts of arson, but the police were torturing women, violating their privacy as well as the sanctity of the veil.
The PTI leader demanded that the Tando Allahyar SSP be removed immediately and an honest police officer, who could better handle the situation, be appointed in the district. He lauded the role of the PTI workers who came out to restore peace in the town.