NEWS

KARACHI: In an effort to curb the spate of violence in Karachi, a meeting between representatives of the Pakistan People’s Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement at the Governor’s House on Sunday resolved that all those behind targeted killings in the city would be dealt with sternly without regard to their political affiliation.
By the time the meeting ended on Sunday night at least 10 people had been gunned down in the city, taking the death toll in four days of violence to more than 35.

The meeting was convened by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and was attended, among others, by federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah (who represented the PPP) and federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Dr Farooq Sattar (who and the governor represented the MQM).
Announcing the decisions taken at the three-hour meeting, Mr Malik said the nature of the ongoing violence was neither political nor ethnic because criminals were behind it. In the main, land grabbers, drug barons, human traffickers and other criminals who wanted to destabilise the provincial metropolis were killing people under the garb of various peace committees, said Mr Malik.
The minister said such elements were misusing their purported links with the PPP or MQM to drive a wedge between the two coalition partners in Sindh. However, it had been decided that stern action would be taken against all the elements behind the killings, regardless of their political affiliations, if any.
Mr Malik announced that in matters relating to the violence and the subsequent dialogue between the two parties, only he and Chief Minister Shah had been authorised to speak on behalf of the PPP and Dr Sattar and Governor Ibad on behalf of the MQM.
He said that during the meeting, participants held consultations with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and MQM chief Altaf Hussain.
Mr Malik said every issue of importance was discussed thoroughly because Karachi was the country’s economic hub and the government wanted to spare no efforts to restore peace.
Dr Sattar said the interior minister had assured the MQM that all those who were involved in targeted killings would be arrested and given due punishment and there would be no discrimination or favour.
The government had also promised to use all its resources to jointly foil any future conspiracies, he said. The Baloch living in Karachi would never be left at the mercy of drug barons and land grabbers.
Dr Sattar expressed the hope that all decisions taken at the meeting would be implemented in letter and spirit.
Chief Minister Shah said some people involved in the killings had been claiming that they were PPP or MQM loyalists. All such elements would be dealt with strictly.He said additional powers had been given to Rangers to maintain law and order in the city.
Syed Sardar Ahmad, Babar Ghauri, Adil Siddiqui and Dr Saghir Ahmad represented MQM at the meeting and PPP was represented by Manzoor Wassan, Rafique Engineer, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Mian Rashid Rabbani and Ali Mardan Shah.

Tags: mqm,ppp,karachi violence