News
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Senate demands deweaponisation of Karachi
* MQM withholds support from resolution, calls for deweaponisation of whole country
* ANP, MQM offer cooperation for restoring peace
By Ijaz Kakakhel
ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Monday after a heated debate passed a resolution with majority asking the government to deweaponise Karachi in view of the prevailing law and order situation in the city.
The Deweaponisation of Karachi Resolution was supported by all parties in the Upper House of parliament except the MQM. It was forwarded by ANP’s Senator Shahi Syed on April 30, 2012, and stated, “The House recommends that the government may take effective steps to deweaponise the city of Karachi in view of prevailing law and order situation in the city”.
The MQM senators were of the view that deweaponisation of the city was not the permanent solution to the problem, and termed it a cosmetic measure. They said the whole country should be deweaponised. The ANP senators, meanwhile, argued that for improving law and order situation in the country it was essential that Pakistan, US and Afghanistan take appropriate measures for restoration of peace in Afghanistan.
Both the ANP and MQM dominated the debate over the resolution and levelled allegations and counter-allegations. Senator Azam Hoti of the ANP extended his hands towards MQM’s Senator Babar Ghauri offering support for restoration of peace in Karachi. Starting a debate over the resolution, Haji Adeel of ANP claimed that police had totally failed to control law and order in the city and on average five people are killed in the city every day.
Appointments in police were made on political bases, he alleged, and added that ANP’s suggestion was to deweaponise the city to ensure peace there. MQM’s Senator Mustafa Kamal said deweaponisation is not a permanent solution to the problem. He also suggested that there should be no political point-scoring over Karachi law and order and the mandate of Karachi should be accepted by all forces. He asked for a concrete solution of the city’s law and order problem.
Speaking on the issue, Shahi Syed of the ANP said like the motorway police, a model police force should be established in Karachi. Meanwhile, MQM’s Senator Babar Ghauri noted that his party has several times said that terrorists were arriving in Karachi but no one took it seriously. He said if the ANP was really sincere for restoration of peace in the city, it should join hands with the MQM. “We are ready to fight against terrorism in Karachi,” he declared.
The MQM leader said there were three problems in Karachi – criminal mafia, Taliban and sectarian clashes. In a retort to ANP senators, he said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa senators should concentrate more on development of their own areas instead of Karachi. ANP’s Senator Azam Hoti stated Karachi unrest is a very old issue and required the will of political parties to resolve. There is a lack of trust among political forces over Karachi issue, he noted. Hoti asked all political parties to sit together with commitment, saying doing so would automatically lead to improvement in law and order in Karachi.
Another ANP senator, Zahid Khan, claimed those forces were behind Karachi unrest which were created for fighting in Kashmir or in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union. He said Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US will have to unite and find a permanent solution to Afghanistan problem otherwise restoration of peace in the country would be very difficult. PML-N’s Mushahidullah regretted that the government had taken no action to improve law and order situation in the last five years. PML-Q’s Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed told the House that Rangers chief had revealed that there were militant groups in political parties in Karachi. Politicians get the arrested criminals released, he added.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk