Rangers operation in Karachi
Less than a week after SSP Farooq Awan survived a powerful bomb blast in Karachi, the Rangers submitted a report in the Senate claiming that they have decimated the Taliban network in the city. The ongoing targeted killings, street crimes and kidnappings show that the all-is-well report that the Rangers have prepared on the one-year targeted operation does not represent the true picture of the state of affairs in the city. The representatives of both the ANP and the MQM rightly grilled the Rangers’ representative on the claims made in the report. Reports of targeted killings come in from nearly all parts of the city on a daily basis, especially from the Sakhi Hasan area of North Nazimabad, which is located close to the militant stronghold, Manghopir. Even the attack on SSP Awan bore resemblance to a similar attack carried out on the Crime Investigation Department’s Chaudhry Aslam, who was believed to have been targeted by Taliban militants. Targeted attacks on law enforcers have become the norm since the operation began in September last year. Yet, the Rangers insist that they have decimated the Taliban network in Karachi. The role of the law-enforcement agencies needs to be questioned, along with their effectiveness in spearheading the surgical operation. If arresting political activists is the solution to the ongoing violence, why are people still being targeted? What about those who are being targeted because of their sects? If the Rangers’ focus is only on political activists, who may target people working for rival parties and ethnic groups, then perhaps their strategy needs to be revised. They must account for the fact that apart from battles between the armed wings of political parties, several sectarian groups are also present in the city and play a significant role in the ongoing violence. Lastly, the government and the Rangers heads need to shed light on the claims of ANP Senator Shahi Syed that elements from within the law-enforcement agencies are aiding criminal groups. The law-enforcement agencies in the city need to address the loopholes that allow violence to continue in Karachi. Only then can claims about their good performance be accepted.
Afghanistan — a new beginning
After days of political turmoil, blame games and obscure solutions, Ashraf Ghani was finally sworn in as Afghanistan’s president. This is indeed a welcome development for a country that has witnessed more misery than peace. The presence of President Mamnoon Hussain, along with heads of nationalist political parties at the swearing-in ceremony, is a symbolic gesture of endorsement for the political transition. The Foreign Office in its ritualistic statement informed us that at a bilateral meeting between the two presidents, matters relating to the “political transition in Afghanistan, Pakistan-Afghanistan relations and regional cooperation were discussed”. The Chief Executive Officer of the country, Abdullah Abdullah, was also present at the meeting. All of this was happening while a suicide bomber killed four people in an attack on the airport in Kabul, a reminder that all is not well in that country. Our relations with Kabul have not been the best over the years. A few days earlier, the outgoing president, Hamid Karzai, had blamed Pakistan and the US for the continued war in Afghanistan. President Ghani’s actual problems have only just begun. The rise of the Taliban in the past year will pose a huge challenge, as indicated recently with the massive attack in the strategically located province of Ghazni. The fear of growing Indian influence and the Bilateral Security Agreement, which will allow for some American presence in Afghanistan, are all factors that will need to be considered by the Afghan and Pakistani leaderships. All stakeholders need to ensure that the Afghan soil does not become a playground for proxy wars. The presence of our president shows Pakistan’s willingness to back a new beginning in Afghanistan. There has been much debate about Pakistan’s changed foreign policy, with particular reference to Afghanistan. Now is the time to bring about ‘positive’ change and press for cooperation beyond mere statements. The mistrust needs to end now.
Keep the moratorium
The problem with having a death penalty is that if a person is wrongly convicted of a capital crime and executed, there is no ‘reboot’ option. Dead is dead, and if the state kills in error, then that is no less murder than death at the hands of a common criminal. There are 8,526 people convicted of capital crimes in Pakistan, where there are 27 offences that are legally punishable with the ultimate sentence. Many of these offences are crimes that in many other countries of the world would never be considered as capital crimes. Drug smuggling, arms trading and sabotaging the railways are among the things that can attract a hanging sentence, along with blasphemy, rape and “assault on the modesty of a woman”. Some of those on death row have been there for many years, their fate literally hanging in the balance. To hang or not to hang is deeply polarising for the people of Pakistan, with a section of the populace and judiciary in favour, and a vocal group of civil society activists and lawyers against. The matter has been on hold since 2008, when the then PPP government introduced an informal moratorium. That is being challenged this week when the apex court on October 1 takes up a petition filed by the Watan Party, which wants an explanation from the government as to why there is a delay in the executions of sentenced prisoners. On December 5, 2013, the government informed the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) that it intended to maintain the moratorium — which leaves the death penalty on the statute books and does nothing to resolve the impasse. Considering that between 60 and 70 per cent of cases initiated in Pakistan are fabricated in whole or part, the possibility of there being a miscarriage of justice with irreversible, fatal consequences is unacceptably high. Innocent people could be hanged and probably have been. With this in mind, we are committed not just to a continuation of the moratorium, but the removal of death as a sentencing option for the judiciary.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st, 2014.