No-go areas still exist on ethnic, political bases in Karachi: SC
25 October, 2012
KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said no-go areas still exist in the city on political and ethnic bases, adding that if any person entered his opponents' area, his body was recovered in a gunny bag. This was observed by a five-member larger bench of the SC headed by Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and comprising Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmani, Justice Amir Hani Muslim, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain. Sindh Chief Secretary Raja Abbas, Advocate General Abdul Fattah Malik, Prosecutor General Shahadat Awan, Home Department Additional Chief Secretary Wasim Ahmad, Pakistan Rangers Sindh Director General (DG) Major General Rizwan Akhtar, Inspector General Fayyaz Leghari, Additional IG Iqbal Mehmood, AIG (Legal) Ali Sher Jakhrani, representatives of the Provincial Election Commission (PEC) Tanveer Zaki, Sindh Board of Revenue (BoR) Ahmad Pirzada and others were also appeared in the court. The IG, Rangers DG and other police officials submitted reports about no-go areas, compensation to the families of victims who were killed in target killings in Karachi, revision on electoral consistencies of the metropolis and other relevant issues. Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali giving his observations pertaining to the no-go areas said, "It's a ground reality that the many localities of the city are yet present here in the city, those which are existing on politically and ethnically bases." He said, "If any person enters into his opponents' area, later his body is recovered in a closed bag or maybe not found at all." Justice Jamali in response to the Rangers DG's statement said, "You conducted several operations against extortion and criminals who targeted businessmen, industrials and traders," but added that it is a ground reality that the business community had staged protest demonstrations, strikes and sit-ins against the lawlessness and extortion during last year after the SC's verdict in the Karachi unrest case. Sindh PEC representative Tanveer Zaki said, "PEC has no authority to revise or for delimitation of the constituencies without fresh census. It's a constitutional and legal requirement for setting up revision or re-delimitation of the constituencies." Justice Jamali further said, "Pakistan Rangers has no authority to register any case against criminals, however, the people of Karachi have been feeling insecure themselves due to poor law and order situation of the metropolis from a long time." Expressing displeasure over the presence of a large number of police officers, especially numerous station house officers, in the court during the hearing, the bench ordered the SHOs to go to their respective areas and perform their duties. End.
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