News
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Nisar distrust official figures on Karachi missing persons* Interior minister says he didn’t give one-month ultimatum to Sindh government for law and order improvement
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Saturday rejected official figures of missing persons in Karachi and stated that bona fide figures will be obtained and presented in the assembly.
He informed the National Assembly that government declared 261 persons missing, of them 156 persons were traced, while six dead bodies were found and 99 were still untraced. He assured the house that inquiry would be conducted in cases of missing persons and extra-judicial killings that would also cover violation of law by security forces.
Replying to a Calling Attention Notice of MQM MNAs on increasing incidents of extra-judicial killings and missing persons in Karachi, he said he realized pain of members of MQM over Karachi situation and inquiries would be held for any violation of human rights.
Responding to the Leader of opposition Syed Khurshid Shah who sought clarification on a statement attributed to him in a section of press, Nisar said during a recent press conference he did not talk about any one month ultimatum to Sindh government for improvement of law and order situation.
The interior minister said he was not ignorant about the law and the constitution, adding it was prescribed in the Constitution that maintaining law and order was the responsibility of provincial government. In reply to questions raised by MQM MPAs Shaikh Salahuddin, Sufyan Yousaf, Kishwer Zehra, Syed Waseem Hussain and Sardar Nabil Gabol, he said role of the federal government was to provide intelligence to provincial governments and send federal security forces, when requested. The government can appoint Rangers and other federal forces in provinces and review its decision after every three month in consultation with provinces, he told.
He said according to the figures given to him, it was stated in the last three years only three cases of extra- judicial killing were reported in the Sindh’s capital. He said the government declared 261 persons missing, out of them 156 persons were traced, six dead bodies were found and 99 are still untraced.
“I am not satisfied with both the figures and I will probe the issue further and everybody will be held accountable,” he warned. When MQM was in coalition government during last five years, no effort was made to hold even a single inquiry on incidents in Karachi, the minister said. He assured that he would look into the case of Ajmal Baig and urged MQM members to seek explanation from Sindh government over law and order situation in the city.
The minister said he would ask Joint Investigation Team (JIT) inquiring into recent terror incidents in Balochistan to submit report within seven days.
He said he would visit Karachi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and meet with governors and chief executives to discuss with them measures for improving law and order situation. The federal government is acting within the constitution while parliament and Sindh government could give it an extended role in matters of law and order, if they want so, the minister added. Nisar stressed that he would continue to raise voice in the house even if a drop of blood spills in Karachi and called upon parliamentarians from all sides to support the government.
He informed that a number of groups were involved in criminal activity in Karachi and across the board action should be taken against all groups.
He said there was a commitment on all sides that armed forces would follow policies made by the political government as per constitution and law.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk