Jamaat-e-Islami Chief, Syed Munawar Hasan has said foreign powers are conspiring to break up Pakistan as different terrorist groups are serving their foreign masters by putting the port city on fire and destroying its industry and economy. Opposing military action in Karachi, the JI chief said that the situation in Karachi could be brought under control by empowering the police and weeding out political elements from the force.
Karachi could not be left at the mercy of the murderers and extortionists, he said. The JI would soon convene a national conference on the Karachi issue, he said adding that if all the political parties were serious and made joint efforts for improving the situation in Karachi. The JI chief said that the target killings in Karachi had increased and during the last two months about five hundred people had been gunned down. The entire city had been handed over to the mafias.
The government and law enforcing agencies were silent spectators simply because vested interests were dearer to them than the national interest. The gangs of killers were roaming about in the city freely. They emerged at different spots all of a sudden and began indiscriminate firing.
He said the patrons of these killer groups were part of the government because of which the killers were not apprehended. Whenever a gang was hauled up, its head got them released. He said as long as the government continued to be blackmailed by these people, peace would elude the port city.
The JI chief said that the Karachi situation had worsened to the extent that some circles were openly demanding army's presence in the city. However, he said, this was not a permanent solution. He stressed that the hands behind the target killing be exposed and the culprits be punished under the law without any discrimination. Impartial enquiry should be held against the killing on 12th of May, 12th of Rabiul Awwal, 9th of April and 18th of October, the Ashura tragedy and other major killings, those responsible be brought to book and the city be cleansed of arms and ammunition.