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Friday, August 30, 2013
Parties doing politics on Karachi issue: CJP* CJP says drugs, smuggled goods and weapons are being supplied throughout Pakistan via Karachi port
* Govt suggests measures to cure Karachi ills
KARACHI: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said on Thursday that parties started doing politics as soon as the Supreme Court (SC) began hearing the case of law and order situation in Karachi.
“Everyone became active a day before [the bench arrived in the city] and held press conferences. If credit has to be taken then they should discharge obligations,” said the CJP while heading a five-member SC bench.
He said that drugs, smuggled goods and weapons in large quantities were being smuggled in through the Karachi port and supplied throughout the country, including Balochistan.
Citing media reports, he said around 19,000 containers carrying weapons for NATO and US forces fighting in Afghanistan had gone missing.
The CJP also came down heavily on the Sindh chief secretary and provincial police chief, saying that both were not realising their responsibilities to ensure protection of lives and property of citizens.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the reports submitted to the court by Sindh IGP and the chief secretary over the missing NATO containers, the court summoned chief collector customs for the hearing today (Friday).
Questioning competence of the police, the court asked why CPLC was successful in catching culprits of kidnapping and murder cases, while the police were still unable to come up with anything substantial.
The bench was astounded with the Sindh advocate general’s statement in which he declared Karachi a “war zone”. CJP Chaudhry wondered why the advocate general of Balochistan had not given a similar report when worse cases had taken place in that province.
Meanwhile, Attorney General of Pakistan Munir A Malik also submitted a report, stating that the major reason for worsening law and order situation in Karachi was the “growing population” of the city. He also stated that drug cartels, weapons smugglers and gangs operating in the city had become a norm.
The federal government’s report further stated that any major operation in Lyari should be avoided. It also advised on banning pillion riding, while cautioning against shutting down cellular networks without prior coordination. The report also revealed presence of a militant group, namely Muhajir Republican Army, in Karachi and recommended legal course of action upon identification of its members.
The court was also told that any mobile phone SIM card which could not be verified by September 15 would be permanently blocked.
The chief justice remarked that there was an ongoing turf war between different groups in the city and the federal government had not given any input to the provincial government during last two years to normalise the situation.
The bench directed the attorney general and advocate general of Sindh to seek instructions from federal and provincial governments to ensure protection of citizens’ lives. The bench will take up the case again today (Friday) at the Karachi registry. agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk