President Zardari for indiscriminate crackdown against criminals

President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday directed the Sindh government to launch a crackdown against criminals in the port city without any discrimination. He also directed the Sindh government to convene an All Parties Conference (APC) to evolve a consensus strategy to deal with the scourge of lawlessness, terrorism, extortion and other such crimes in the metropolis. In a bid to quell the ongoing conflict in the restive Lyari neighbourhood, President Asif Ali Zardari also directed the Sindh government to put in all its resources to end the conflict. In a meeting held at Bilawal House, which was attended by Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad, Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and heads of the police and Rangers, President Zadari said indiscriminate action should be taken against target killers, extortionists and land grabbers active in the city. The president was briefed by the chief minister, IG Sindh and DG Rangers on the law and order situation of the city in the meeting. The president directed the Sindh government to establish pickets in various troubled areas of the city and also said that high range CCTV cameras should be installed in all the entry and exit points of Karachi. He said that maintaining law and order was a shared responsibility of the political forces, which must join hands to maintain the peace in Karachi. Participants of the meeting gave their perspective on the reasons behind the volatile situation in Lyari and gave suggestions on how to tackle it. The president has also formed a three-member committee under the Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah to negotiate with the Muttahida Quami Movement. Khurseed Shah and Rehman Malik are the two other members of the committee. The chief minister informed the president that the Sindh government was planning to call an All Parties Conference (APC) to restore law and order in the city. The other political parties will be invited to suggest ways to control law and order in Karachi. The president was told that by the end of this year, Karachi will have 3,000 CCTV cameras. The president told the chief minister to address the paucity of funds faced by the law enforcement agencies and reiterated that “establishing the peace and order of the city was the prime responsibility of the Sindh Government.” The president also heard a committee representing Lyari. A delegation, comprising Senator Yusuf Baloch, Senator Saeed Ghani, Abdul Qadir Patel, and MPA Sania Naz briefed them about the ongoing conflict in Lyari. Sources privy to the meeting said that the Baloch of Lyari were asked to sit and talk to the Katchis, to which the committee said that those behind the current conflict do not represent the Katchis which is fuelled by outsiders. The president said that the Pakistan People’s Party will soon organise a peace conference at the Kakri Ground, and a peace walk in the area to help calm the communal temperature in the area. However, the Lyari committee informed the president that “certain elements” from the MQM have penetrated into the Katchi neighbourhoods, which were responsible for the violence in the area. The committee also complained to the president that the law enforcement agencies do not heed orders from the elected representatives of Lyari, which was making it all the more difficult for them to restore peace in the area.