Sindh govt defies pledge

ISLAMABAD: The Sindh government has defied understanding given in the Apex Committee of the province to deal with the terrorism by adopting resolution for curtailing the powers of the Rangers deployed in Karachi.

The assurance was given by the provincial administration more than once that all steps to curb and eradicate terrorism would be taken in consensus of the stakeholders and federal government.

The assurance was given in the presence of civil and military leadership of the country by the provincial chief executive.

Highly placed sources told The News here on Wednesday late evening that the resolution that was hurriedly placed before the Provincial Assembly and passed in haste has also defeated the cause of consensus document namely National Action Plan (NAP) for elimination of terrorism from the face of the country.

The Federal government is perturbed of the development and looking into various options to sort out the crisis like situation.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will chair a high echelon meeting here at the PM House today (Thursday) to deliberate the situation arising out due to the contentious resolution of Sindh Assembly.

Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan, Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Constitutional expert and Federal Minister for Climate Changes Zahid Hamid, Minister for SAFRON retired General Abdul Qadar Baloch, Special Assistant to the PM (SAPM) Sate Minister Dr. Syed Asif Saeed Kirmani, SAPMs Barrister Zafarullah Khan, Aushtar Ausaf, NSA chief Lt. General ® Nasser Khan Janjua, Secretary to PM Fawad Hasan Fawad and chiefs of some intelligence gathering outfits will also attend the huddle.

The sources said that one of the possibility that would be explored that the resolution passed by the Provincial Assembly if challenged in the Apex Court, the federal government could support such move since the people of Karachi are extremely upset about the resolution that has hanged sword of lawlessness over their heads yet again.

The resolution has overlapped the Pakistan Protection Act (PPA) and Anti-Terrorism legislation made at the federal level for the whole country. No Provincial Assembly resolution that isn’t an act could undo the federal legislation, the sources reminded.

The sources hinted that Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif will have an important meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif tomorrow (Friday) here at the PM House and it is likely that they would thrash out the tangle since the matter couldn’t be prolonged any further.

In the meanwhile former President Asif Zardari and former Interior Minister Rehman Malik have dashed to Saudi Arabia from Dubai and it is understood that they have gone to seek guarantees for safe passage and return for the former’s visiting to Pakistan for taking part in Benazir Bhutto’s death anniversary falling on 27th of this month who is behind the episode of resolution.