Low intensity operation to restore peace in Karachi

ISLAMABAD — The Sindh Police, under its new chief Dr Shoaib Suddle, are putting its act together to launch a ‘low intensity operation’ against terrorists, kidnappers, extortionists and miscreants, officials here said.
Adviser to prime minister on interior Rehman Malik told newsmen here that no direct operation against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement is planned but warned that lawlessness, violence and terrorism would not be tolerated.
He said the government would be able to uncover those involved in the May 12 carnage in Karachi, the October 18 blasts and the assassination of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto. All reports on investigations in the assassination have been collected and being reviewed, he added.
The officials said in the beginning the pace of the operation will be quite slow till all intelligence agencies are brought on board and are willing to provide back-up support.
“Without the full intelligence support, no operation will achieve any success in Karachi. There is no point in doing a patchy work because it will encourage terrorists,” The News quoted a senior police official, who was recently transferred to Karachi after 12 years. “Unless the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is comprehensively associated with any such operation, we can’t go the whole yard and take the troublemakers head-on. This premier outfit has all the resources and high-tech required for such a drive,” he said.
During his recent visit to Islamabad, the officer showed to The News correspondent a huge bundle of documents, wrapped in a shopping bag, giving graphic details of those who had been resorting to killings and creating anarchy and chaos in Karachi.
The officer has been on the ‘hit list’ of terrorists for his all-inclusive involvement in the previous operation in which several people belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) died in fake encounters.
The MQM publicly repudiated the appointment of this police officer as it did in the case of Suddle as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Sindh. It cited these appointments as one of the reasons for its decision to snap power-sharing negotiations with the PPP and sit in the opposition.
The official said no doubt the terrorists were well armed and had large amount of weapons that they had assembled over the past decade, it was not a big deal to crack down on them if there were complete preparations and clarity of mind as to what was to be achieved.
He said mere moving of Suddle to Sindh as chief of provincial chief and some other changes made at the senior level in the provincial police, especially Karachi, had sent an unambiguous message across the board that illegal activities would have to be ceased forthwith or these would be curbed with force. These changes have instantly resulted in reduction in street crimes, including the snatching of mobile phones, he added.
Another official said that the Karachi Police would now no longer sit silently waiting for all the main players of the government, including intelligence agencies, to come out with their opinion that the troublemakers had to be dealt with severely in Karachi before it was too late.
The first step that Suddle has started taking is to inculcate confidence in the police force and tell them that he means business. The recent pay raise given to policemen and provision of other facilities was part of this policy. While Suddle has the track record of taking on the criminals in a decisive way, he doesn’t spare policemen who show laxity and negligence.