KARACHI: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday held the
police and Rangers responsible for the high levels of unrest in the
metropolis, DawnNews reported.
--> --> --> --> --> --> The five-judge bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice (CJ) Iftikhar Chaudhry will hear the case until August 30. The members of the bench include Justices Jawad S. Khawaja, Gulzar Ahmed, Ather Saeed and Azmat Saeed. During the hearing, CJ Chaudhry demanded to know how the citizens could be protected when the forces could not protect themselves.
He also expressed anger at the absence of Director General Sindh Rangers from the hearing.
DG Sindh Rangers was then summoned by the supreme court. He arrived shortly after.
In response to the court’s demand regarding continuous unrest in the city, he stated that this was due to armed wings of political parties, which were on a killing spree.
He added that their destruction was necessary for peace in the city.
CJ Chaudhry said that the police and Rangers were not taking the unrest in Karachi seriously, adding that they had as yet been unable to successfully wipe out terror from the city.
He moreover stated that the Rangers should accept defeat within the city, at which DG Sindh Rangers told the court that those arrested were soon bailed out of prison.
He added that the Rangers had limited powers. They could arrest criminals, but not investigate the crimes properly.
In the past ten months, 28 Rangers have died and 55 seriously injured in clashes.
When provided with positive reports of conditions of the city, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry asked for a tour of Lyari, which was declined by DG Sindh Rangers.
The Sindh government was obligated to submit investigation reports about criminal cases on a daily basis, while also ordered to provide assistance to all law-enforcement agencies in the quest to restore order in the city.
However, every report filed by the police and Rangers has been teemed unsatisfactory and rejected by the Supreme Court.
The hearing was adjourned with the SC ordering the submission of two years' worth of correspondence between executives of both the federal and provincial governments. Attornery General Irfan Qadir has also been summoned in court.
The next hearing of the case will take place tomorrow.
A total of seven people were killed today, with three others severely injured.
In other related news, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has called for a Federal Cabinet session to discuss the situation in Karachi. The session, to be held in Karachi, will be attended by Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah and the Governor of Sindh, Dr. Ishrat ul Ibad.
DG Sindh Rangers, DG Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and DG Intelligence Bureau (IB) will also be present at the session.
The country’s business hub is home to multiple conflicts that frequently turn violent, including gang wars and ethnic and political rivalries. It has been the recipient of numerous cases of target killings and terror in the past. Militants are said to use the city as a hiding place and a source of funds obtained through bank heists, extortion and kidnapping for ransom.
