Pakistan: ‘Political faux pas’: Lawmakers slam MQM for demanding army

The Express Tribune

Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s demand for Karachi to be handed over to the army incensed members of the National Assembly en masse who decried the party’s call, terming it ‘undemocratic’. MQM MNA Farooq Sattar made the demand while addressing the lower house on a point of order, saying that Article 245 of the Constitution should be invoked to protect the lives and properties of the people in the metropolis. The army should act without discrimination against all groups involved in terrorist activities, he added. However, legislators from all other parties decried the demand, deeming it preposterous. “Invoking Article 245 of the Constitution (as demanded by the MQM) is like imposing martial law in a city,” said Minister for States and Frontier Regions, Lt. General (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch of the PML-N. “The army is not trained for the job proposed by the MQM and they cannot be given the responsibility to maintain law and order.” Baloch explained that under Article 245, the civil government can call the army in aid and it was the prerogative of the Parliament to take such a decision.

Article 245 (1) reads as “The Armed Forces shall, under the directions of the Federal Government, defend Pakistan against external aggression or threat of war, and, subject to law, act in aid of civil power when called upon to do so.”Leader of the Opposition Syed Khurshid Shah also vehemently opposed the idea of deploying army in Karachi, calling it ‘undemocratic’. He said that the ulterior motive behind the MQM’s insistence was to defame the provincial government of Pakistan Peoples Party. “The MQM has made a political mistake by making this demand.” The issues of Karachi should be tackled through negotiations with all political parties, he said. “We need to strengthen democracy and should avoid such undemocratic demands that have the propensity to harm the system.” Meanwhile, MQM chief Altaf Hussain issued a statement, saying his “demand for the deployment of the army to protect the life and property of the Katchi community in light of the severe and critical condition of law and order in certain areas of Karachi” is constitutional. He refers to Article 149(4) and Article 245(1) of the Constitution. He also cited precedence by referring to a 1994 Supreme Court judgment in the Shehla Zia Case. Along with rejecting the army deployment option, opposition parties condemned the law and order situation in Karachi as well. Members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and Awami Muslim League (AML) staged a token walkout from National Assembly proceedings against the Karachi situation. “It should be examined as to why the situation in Karachi reached a point where the MQM had to make this demand”, said PTI Deputy Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi. However, he did not subscribe to the demand. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmad rejected MQM’s demand for handing over of Karachi to army as he urged political parties of Sindh to join hands and find a solution instead of blaming each other. Meanwhile, Ghous Bux Mahar from the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional group also rejected the demand saying, “If no one is paying heed to Sindh governor Dr. Ishratul Ibad, then he should resign.” Separately, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Munawar Hassan said that military operations across the country has only rendered losses and Karachi’s issues cannot be solved by an operation either.