Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Wednesday termed the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) demand to call army in Karachi as “non-serious” and said that the MQM would be first in line to protest if the military was invoked to carry out operations in the city.
Memon said that the MQM had always been critical of police and Rangers’ operation in the city, adding that had the army been requested to supervise targeted operations in Karachi, then MQM would have backed out from its demand.
MQM's Nasreen Jalil had said that it was her party which had been demanding an army operation against terrorists in the city where Taliban were strengthening their presence. The senator said she had even written a letter to the prime minister on the issue.
This was not a new call by the party as party chief Altaf Hussain had been repeatedly asking to handover Karachi’s control to the military.
On Jan 5, senators belonging to MQM and the Awami National Party (ANP) had demanded a military operation against terrorists in Karachi.
On August 27 last year, in a statement issued from London, Hussain had said that the situation of Karachi was worsening day by day and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should hand over responsibilities of the city to the army.
Karachi is home to multiple conflicts that frequently turn violent, including gang wars, ethnic and political rivalries. Militants are said to use the city as a hiding place and a source of funds obtained through bank heists, extortion and kidnapping for ransom. Political parties have also increasingly started using the city as a battleground for their conflicting interests.
