KARACHI - The government still wants dialogue with the Taliban to end the bloodshed in the country, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Friday in first public response following the clear refusal to talks by new Taliban chief Mullah Fazullah.
Speaking to senior journalists at here the Governor House, Nawaz said his government wants dialogue with the Taliban for the sake of peace. He said at least 40,000 citizens of the country have already lost their lives in the war against terrorism. He expressed the hope that Taliban will respond positively as end to the bloodshed was in everyone’s interest.
During his visit to the city, the prime minister chaired a meeting to review the law and order situation in Karachi at Rangers Headquarters, and said the operation will continue till the arrest of the last criminal in the commercial hub of the country. He also held meetings with party’s leaders from Sindh, a three-member team of MQM, and representatives of business community and journalists.
In his media talk at Governor House, the PM termed the ongoing targeted operation in the city as successful and he praised Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Governor Ishratul Ebad, police, Rangers and other law enforcement agencies for their efforts to bring peace to the port city.
To a question, Nawaz said there was no deadline for the Karachi operation but it was essentially across the board and it was achieving success. He said they want to restore writ of the government and the operation was being conducted without any consideration, political or otherwise. He said that criminals are criminals, they neither have any true belief nor political association. The government, he said, would not succumb to blackmail or political pressure.
Nawaz said the provincial government with absolute support of the federal government was fully committed to bring the criminals and terrorists to task and restore normalcy, which was a prerequisite for restoration of trade and industrial activity in the commercial hub. He stressed that peace in Karachi is directly linked to progress and development of the whole country. He said that business community representatives during their meeting with him also praised the efforts of the government against the criminals in the city.
Sharing details of the briefing given to him at the Rangers Headquarters, he said 6,780 arrests have been made during the exercise. Three of the accused have been convicted while cases of 1,408 are ready for trial as they have already been referred to the courts. As many as 635 accused have been acquitted and 49 released on bail, he added.
The PM said if criminals managed their release from the courts, all their efforts for peace will prove futile. He said that criminals involved in the terrorism, extortions, kidnappings and other heinous crimes would be tried under new law of Pakistan Protection Ordinance. He also said that the cases could be transferred to other provinces for trial and they can record their statements through video link.
Citing the case of journalist Wali Babar, in which witness and lawyer have been killed, the prime minister said that witness and complainant are under fear after killing of witnesses. To a question, he said if innocent persons are arrested in the operation, they would be cleared in the screening process.
Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz chaired a meeting at Pakistan Ranger’s Headquarters. Governor Ishratul Ebad, CM Qaim Ali, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and senior officials also attended the meeting. DG Rangers and other officials briefed the Premier in detail about the achievements and the modus operandi adopted by the Rangers for the operation against criminals and anti-social elements.
The PM said the law and order situation in Karachi had improved due to efforts of the law enforcing agencies. He expressed confidence in the Rangers and said that the improving security situation was an indication that things were moving in the right direction. He directed the Rangers and police to continue with the targeted operations.
DG Rangers Major General Rizwan Akhtar in his briefing drew the attention of the Premier towards the shortage of the courts dealing with the anti-terrorism cases. He also pointed to the political appointments in the LEAs and other departments, which according to him was creating difficulties in the progress of operation. The prime minister assured him to look into the issues, promising that flaws in the policies and laws would be rectified.
Earlier, a delegation of MQM comprising Dr Farooq Sattar, Khalid Maqbool and Babar Gauri had a meeting with the PM and assured him of their cooperation for ongoing operation in the city. They also shared their grievances about the operation, telling the PM that Rangers had arrested their political workers and baseless allegations were being levelled at them.
Speaking to senior journalists at here the Governor House, Nawaz said his government wants dialogue with the Taliban for the sake of peace. He said at least 40,000 citizens of the country have already lost their lives in the war against terrorism. He expressed the hope that Taliban will respond positively as end to the bloodshed was in everyone’s interest.
During his visit to the city, the prime minister chaired a meeting to review the law and order situation in Karachi at Rangers Headquarters, and said the operation will continue till the arrest of the last criminal in the commercial hub of the country. He also held meetings with party’s leaders from Sindh, a three-member team of MQM, and representatives of business community and journalists.
In his media talk at Governor House, the PM termed the ongoing targeted operation in the city as successful and he praised Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Governor Ishratul Ebad, police, Rangers and other law enforcement agencies for their efforts to bring peace to the port city.
To a question, Nawaz said there was no deadline for the Karachi operation but it was essentially across the board and it was achieving success. He said they want to restore writ of the government and the operation was being conducted without any consideration, political or otherwise. He said that criminals are criminals, they neither have any true belief nor political association. The government, he said, would not succumb to blackmail or political pressure.
Nawaz said the provincial government with absolute support of the federal government was fully committed to bring the criminals and terrorists to task and restore normalcy, which was a prerequisite for restoration of trade and industrial activity in the commercial hub. He stressed that peace in Karachi is directly linked to progress and development of the whole country. He said that business community representatives during their meeting with him also praised the efforts of the government against the criminals in the city.
Sharing details of the briefing given to him at the Rangers Headquarters, he said 6,780 arrests have been made during the exercise. Three of the accused have been convicted while cases of 1,408 are ready for trial as they have already been referred to the courts. As many as 635 accused have been acquitted and 49 released on bail, he added.
The PM said if criminals managed their release from the courts, all their efforts for peace will prove futile. He said that criminals involved in the terrorism, extortions, kidnappings and other heinous crimes would be tried under new law of Pakistan Protection Ordinance. He also said that the cases could be transferred to other provinces for trial and they can record their statements through video link.
Citing the case of journalist Wali Babar, in which witness and lawyer have been killed, the prime minister said that witness and complainant are under fear after killing of witnesses. To a question, he said if innocent persons are arrested in the operation, they would be cleared in the screening process.
Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz chaired a meeting at Pakistan Ranger’s Headquarters. Governor Ishratul Ebad, CM Qaim Ali, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and senior officials also attended the meeting. DG Rangers and other officials briefed the Premier in detail about the achievements and the modus operandi adopted by the Rangers for the operation against criminals and anti-social elements.
The PM said the law and order situation in Karachi had improved due to efforts of the law enforcing agencies. He expressed confidence in the Rangers and said that the improving security situation was an indication that things were moving in the right direction. He directed the Rangers and police to continue with the targeted operations.
DG Rangers Major General Rizwan Akhtar in his briefing drew the attention of the Premier towards the shortage of the courts dealing with the anti-terrorism cases. He also pointed to the political appointments in the LEAs and other departments, which according to him was creating difficulties in the progress of operation. The prime minister assured him to look into the issues, promising that flaws in the policies and laws would be rectified.
Earlier, a delegation of MQM comprising Dr Farooq Sattar, Khalid Maqbool and Babar Gauri had a meeting with the PM and assured him of their cooperation for ongoing operation in the city. They also shared their grievances about the operation, telling the PM that Rangers had arrested their political workers and baseless allegations were being levelled at them.
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