Karachi unrest: take Taliban's presence seriously, Supreme Court asks government

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Saturday issued a provisional order, asking the government to clamp down on militant groups, re-arrest the under-trial prisoners (UTPs) released on parole and impound vehicles carrying foreign number plates. The eight-page apex court order also asked the government's concerned departments to take the presence of Taliban in the city seriously and undertake a crackdown on militants.
The order said the concerned department should begin registration of vehicles. It asked the government to make the process of appointments and promotions in police department transparent. It said the out-of-turn promotions in the police department created discontent amongst the deserved officers. It said the transfer and posting of police officials are also not made on merit.
A larger SC bench headed by Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and comprising Khilji Arif Hussain, Justice Amir Hani Muslim, Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmani and Justice Gulzar Ahmed issued its order on the Karachi unrest case. The order asked the police and Rangers to re-arrest the 35 under-trial prisoners (UTPs) whom the Sindh Home Department had released on parole.
It said the government on one hand is clamouring on terrorism while on the other hand it has paroled outlaws involved in serious crimes. It said there are outlaws, who have been sent to jail under Section 302 and section 365. The court ordered the police to cancel the parole of all 35 under-trial prisoners and issue against them arrest warrants.
It ordered the secretary Sindh home department, jail officials, and parole department to present their report on the prisoners release on parole. It said the police department should take action against the illegal immigrants in the city and Taliban.
It also ordered the traffic department to present a monthly vehicles fitness report to the court. It said the department should impound vehicles with numbers plates of other countries. The bench asked the collector customs to start an operation against the smuggled and non-duty paid vehicles which are in a greater numbers present a report in this connection to the court.
The bench said the police report on targeted killings in the city gives an apprehensive impression about the city's situation, asking the police and Rangers to clamp down on criminals with a joint co-ordination. It said the criminals should face justice. It observed the police's reaction to the crimes in the city has been at best timid.