News
Thursday, October 31, 2013
SC seeks ‘action plan’ to stop smuggling of arms in Karachi* Court says smuggled arms and money from narcotics being used to disturb law and order in Karachi
KARACHI: The Supreme Court has ordered the federal organisations and agencies to hold a joint meeting to chalk out a comprehensive strategy to control smuggling of arms and narcotics into Karachi.
A larger bench of the court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Wednesday resumed the hearing of Karachi law and order case and passed an interim order on the issue of smuggling of arms in Karachi. In the interim order, the chief justice directed the attorney general to convene a joint meeting of officials of Customs, Maritime Security Agency (MSA), Coast Guards, Rangers and police and evolve a comprehensive strategy to control the smuggling of arms and narcotics into the port city.
He also observed that smuggled arms and ill-gotten money from narcotics were being used by the criminals who were disturbing law and order in Karachi. The bench also directed the attorney general to submit a report on Thursday (today) to the bench about the joint action plan on the issue. Chief Justice Iftikhar said that the Maritime Security Agency and Coast Guards were responsible for the presence of illegal weapons in the country.
“We are on the brink of a volcano,” he remarked. “If all the agencies and institutions get united, I guarantee that not a single bullet can come to Karachi from tomorrow.” The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), Pakistan Coast Guards and Maritime Security Agency filed their reports at the inception of the hearing of the case. However, the court expressed its dissatisfaction over the reports.
To the chief justice’s question whether narcotics were being traded in the city, the ANF DG Maj Gen Zafar admitted that was happening. He asked the court to give him a chance to explain the situation. But the chief justice said “you people are not doing your job”. He asked the attorney general to send them all to home and inject new blood, as drug smuggling is continuing in the country under a global agenda. Police, Anti-Narcotics Force, Coast Guards, Customs and other agencies are conniving therein, he observed. “All are minting money and no one is doing any work,” the chief justice said. He asked how could narcotics come into the country in the presence of Anti-Narcotics Force. The entire country, the chief justice noted, is flooded with narcotics and observed that drug and arms trafficking was due to the negligence of duty. agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk