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armoured personnel
carriers to maintain peace KARACHI - Karachi is all set to have a
garrison look as President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday took a strong
exception to incidents of targeted killings, extortions and street
crimes in the violence-hit commercial hub of the country. Almost every
day of the last week saw the city witnessing cold-blooded killings and
socio-economic life coming to a grinding halt with over 50 people
falling prey to politically- motivated targeted killings, dozens of
vehicles being set on fire and trade and business incurring
incalculable losses during the weeklong violence. Monday being no
exception saw the targeted killing of a PPP office bearer in the gang-
war-fame Lyari neighbourhood, one of the city's most volatile
localities. Chairing a high-level meeting
of officials from the government and law enforcement agencies at
Bilawal House, President Zardari ordered the security personnel to
deal with the criminals with zero tolerance. The president said the
city of 180 million had badly been plagued by the menace of extortion
and other street crimes with the life and properties of common man
paralysed the most. The president directed the concerned quarters to
equip the police with aerial patrolling equipment as well as
heavy-duty armoured personnel carriers (APCs). The law enforcers would
also be doing the "geo fencing" of various city neighbourhoods
infected the most. Among others, the meeting was attended by Interior
Minister Rehman Malik, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan, Chief
Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Home Minister
Manzoor Wassan, Finance Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Law Minister
Muhammad Ayaz Soomro, Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani,
the Sindh IGP, Pakistan Rangers Sindh DG, IB DG and other senior
federal and provincial government officials. Meanwhile, the interior
minister, who arrived on Saturday, called upon the media not to
sensationalize the news regarding violence. In a talk on Monday, the
PPP's major troubleshooter in Karachi, said the media should avoid
spreading sensation by, what he termed it, the misreporting of facts
regarding law and order in Karachi. He claimed that there was no
incident of targeted killing on Sunday, but he saw some of the
newspapers reporting the killing of six people in targeted killing.
The interior minister claimed that those reported to have fallen prey
to politically- motivated killings had died naturally or were shot
dead out of personal enmities or accidents. (Pakistan today)
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