KARACHI; It is extremely regrettable that a community which remained one of the builders of Pakistan had been victimised in Karachi. Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said this while vehemently condemning the tragedy in Karachi in the Geo News programme, ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’ on Thursday. He said the Ismaili community had a big role in development of the country and asserted that the incident was condemnable and vowed that the blood spilled and lives taken in the incident would not go in waste. He said there would be a befitting reply to the cruel massacre. Significant improvement had been witnessed in the law and order situation in Karachi during the last one and a half years, the minister observed. He asserted there should be complete end to such incidents so that sense of security might prevail among the people. Referring to meeting held on the day in the Prime Minister House, Khawaja Asif said there were deliberations on every aspect of terrorism in the APC meeting. It was decided that all the stakeholders should endeavour for peace in Karachi keeping aside all aspects of politics. He mentioned that political rivalries were going on in Karachi for several decades and the situation required the government to put the things right. Khawaja Asif said if there were claims of making achievements then the responsibility for failures should also be accepted. However, one or two institutions should not be blamed for shortcomings. The enemies of Pakistan were also within the country and had links with outside anti-Pakistan forces and elements. He stated that the occurrences at Peshawar and in Karachi were in retaliation to Operation Zarb-e-Azb. He recommended that funding to different groups from different sources should be stopped. Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said there was no justification for the call for resignation of Sindh chief minister over the terrorist attack in Karachi. Such incident could not have been stopped had anyone else been the chief minister. The field work was the responsibility of government officials, he said. He pointed out that salaries of Karachi police had been enhanced and brought at par with Punjab police salaries. They had been provided with latest mobile vans, while their number had also been increased. Sharjeel Memon said terrorism had been going on in the country for the last thirty years. It should have been stopped in the very beginning. The minister said killers of the two DSPs martyred last week had been arrested. He praised that law-enforcing agencies’ personnel had been rendering sacrifices in their efforts to root out terrorism. Memon asserted that the police were making all-out efforts to curb terrorism. Monitoring Cells has been set up at various places, while surveillance cameras had also been installed. On the other hand, the policemen were being provided with advanced training and the latest equipment had been made available. The best available officers were performing their duties in Karachi. He said it was also the responsibility of the federal government to control activities of banned organisations. Responding to a question Memon said he had never ordered to arrest or to release anyone. He also mentioned that major part of the budget of the province was being spent on improving law and order situation. Senior news analyst Mazhar Abbas said the actual meeting on the day was held at the corps headquarters, where the army chief was briefed. On the other hand there were certain political reservations and hitches during the meeting at the Governor’s House. He said Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah was the captain of Karachi operation. The captain should be changed if his team was making no accomplishment and was appearing to have failed. Mazhar Abbas put side by side the situation with Misbahul Haq, the captain of cricket team, who refused to resign even after his team faced defeats one after another. Similar was the case with Qaim Ali Shah. Mazhar Abbas said the meeting at the Governor’s House appeared to have been called just for photo session. There was not a single decision taken there. He said the actual operation in Karachi was being carried out by the DG Rangers and the Corps Commander, the briefing of which was given to the army chief.
