Half done, not done

Head of PPP Media Cell
Many questions are crossing the minds of the people regarding the Rangers’ recent raid at Nine Zero, Karachi, MQM headquarters. The questions are: up to now overall success of the operation, the veracity of allegations of Nato arms found there, truth of arrest of the hard core convicted criminals at Nine Zero, alleged discriminatory nature of the action of the Rangers, pursuit of due process of law and finally political fallout of the operation. These questions warrant plausible explanations to satisfy the anxiety of the people of this country and indeed the international community whose ante of susceptibility is hurtfully on the upward trajectory. The validity of the operation will earn the appreciations of all while the malafidies will result in outrageous ire of the same brand of people. It is a nutcracker situation for the government and it must move with utmost care keeping the public interest at the foremost.
Karachi is the commercial and the industrial hub of the country and major source of revenue for the public exchequer required to run the statecraft and execute the development projects including meeting the prodigal defence expenditures — perhaps highest in the world when reviewed in the context of GDP ratio. Karachi port has the singular distinction of serving as a major conduit for country’s exports and imports. The headquarters of State Bank of Pakistan, commercial banks, insurance companies, national airline, Pakistan Steel Mills, big Naval establishments and many others multinational companies, are all located in Karachi playing important role in the country’s economy. The teeming port city of Karachi with 200 millions people living there is a great source of opportunities if administered as a metropolis that is crime free to a large extent. It will be liability if the law and order situation remains alarming and the people continue to live under the fear of acute insecurity. Unfortunately, the law and order situation in the metropolis has been on the downhill for the last many years and the signs of improvement so far are looking like a far-fetched cry. All types of mafias are operating with impunity, holding the government and the city their hostage and the residents are at their mercy. The killings of innocent civilians are going on unabatedly and the Baldia Factory inferno had sent shivers down the spine of the whole nation and indeed of the international community.
The country’s civil and military leadership huddled together lately and vividly decided to hunt down the trouble makers and terrorists indiscriminately who have been playing havoc with the destiny of Karachi city and its impact has adversely affected the whole country. The land mafias, target killers, faith based killers, extortionists and above all those who shut down the metropolis within half hour causing billions of rupees loss to nation must be dealt with iron hand. This state of affairs obviously was neither affordable nor sustainable and it must come to an end because the question of the salvaging of the commercial and financial hub of the country was at stake. The operation launched hitherto failed to improve the security situation was the view in the meeting presided over by the prime minister.
The main reason, according to credible sources, was the support of the political parties to the criminals. The Law Enforcement Agencies’ efforts failed to yield positive results in the face of bellicose interference of the politicians who would come to their rescue by using the leverage of their political clout. The operation lacked the requisite political will as the political expediencies came in the way of the success of the operation while the city continued to bleed without respite. Obviously, this free for all situations cannot be allowed to linger on indefinitely and the political and military leadership had to think again to deal with the menace that had the potential of pushing the country to implosion like situation. It was perhaps the last meeting of the political and military establishment in which it was conveyed that enough was enough and devils had to be sent to their final abode without fail. The meeting was presided over by the prime minister which was also attended by former President Asif Ali Zardari, minister for Interior, Army Chief, DG (ISI), Corp Commander, Karachi and others. It is pertinent to mention that the army chief reportedly underscored the importance of de-politicization of the police in the meeting because without this all plans and strategies would meet the same ill-fate.
The half-hearted efforts earlier put in could not succeed in hunting down the criminals and the mafias were having the free field to strike with impunity. In this background, the new operation has been lunched beginning from the Nine Zero that prima facie looks as safe haven protecting hardcore convicted criminals including the killer of GEO Reporter Wali Babar. According to Rangers spokesman, a large cache of arms and ammunition were also recovered from there allegedly meant for Nato troops. The US State Department clarification to the effect that no weapon or explosives were ever transported through Karachi made the allegations of Rangers doubtful and they have to submit irrefutable evidence in the court of law. The MQM has to come with their impeccable defence that the weapons seized by Rangers are licensed and Rangers claim was baseless and indeed figment of their imagination. The decision of the court in this case would be of paramount importance and it should be decided sooner than later on the basis of daily hearing after the submission of the challan by the prosecutor. The MQM also owes immediate explanation as why it was allegedly protecting the hardcore criminals at its Headquarters? Their presence there strengthened the widely held impression of Party’s hands are stained with the bloods of many innocent people. It is a gruesome crime and MQM must prove its innocence otherwise its future will be in great jeopardy. No amount playing to the gallery will bail them out.
Who will deny the absoluteness of the operation across the board? The genuineness of the political leadership for the underway operation in Karachi will only be established if the locations of other political parties are also raided based on authentic intelligence reports because it is commonly known that other political parties and religious extremists groups are also carrying out the sordid activities detrimental to the law and order situation and their tactics are no different than what are attributed, wrongly or rightly, to the MQM. The dilly dallying in this regard will definitely dish out the impression of political victimisation of the MQM and the world human rights organizations and of the country will highlight the violations as of the worst type. It is therefore incumbent to establish indiscriminate nature of the operation and for that the urgent need of apprehending the other horde of criminals of different backgrounds cannot be over emphasized.
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Interior Minister, has asserted that the operation has the support of the chief minister of Sindh adding that the MQM’s admonishment of the army is tipping over the edges and therefore cannot be tolerated. The MQM intends to make the Rangers Operation controversial by projecting it as totally against MQM. There is dire need on the part of the federal government to project it as indiscriminate through follow up actions because actions speak louder than words. The government has to go after all types of criminals regardless of their affiliations, status or position. There must be zero tolerance for the criminals and it should not only be exhibited but be seen as has been exhibited. Its criticality must not be misread and rather understood fully well with full seriousness as the question of making the metropolis a worthwhile place to live in is involved.
The state of Pakistan has no option except to eliminate the formidable threats responsible for tarnishing country’s image to the level of the lower rung. They must be exterminated for creating an enabling environment for leading a normal life where its residents are focused to their self-excellence through the prism of nation building. They deserve a fair deal in the shape of improvement of their quality of life. The criminal and mafias are depriving them from their legitimate aspirations and therefore should be pushed to the gates of hell never to revisit again.
PTI Chief Imran Khan has supported the operation and its optics. But equally important on his part is he should urge the government to take action across the board without delay. His stance is bound to steal the hearts of those who are opponents of the MQM either on the basis of ideological differences, clash of interests or their alleged victims. Opposition Leader Syed Khursheed Shah has also put across a pertinent question to MQM leadership as why they were hiding hardcore criminals at their Headquarters. Jamaat-e-Islami has welcomed the operation with the demand to ban MQM. MQM has been demanding the ban on JI by arguing that majority of Al-Qaeda and TTP leaders have been arrested from the residences of the Jamaat leaders.
Key to the whole analysis is that the operation must be spearheaded to logical conclusion. Back of all types of mafias, target killers, terrorists, extortionists must be broken indiscriminately. The elimination of criminals of particular ethnic background will not address the predicaments of the people of Karachi and indeed of the country. All experts are of the opinion that operation will not be selective because it makes sense. It has to be cohesive, coherent and holistic otherwise it would be synonymous to half done, not done.
muhammadshaheedi@yahoomail