Daily Times

The Members of the National Assembly on Friday expressed their resentment over the increase in terror activities in various parts of the country and violence perpetrated by the bandits of Katcha areas in Sindh province.

They demanded the provincial and federal governments to take up the matter seriously to ensure protection of public life and property. The lawmakers demanded the quarters concerned to come up with out of the box strategies to tackle the bandits who were armed with massive weapons to maintain law and order in the province while talking to APP outside the Parliament House.

Member National Assembly (MNA) Tahira Aurangzeb of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said terrorism and violence are resurging not only in Katcha areas but also other parts of the country that should be tackled with proper strategy and iron hands to curb this menace.

During the previous regime of PML-N supremo and former prime minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched that involved police, law enforcement agencies and the security forces that jointly conducted anti-terrorism operations which led to revival of peace in the country, she said and added that similarly, a joint effort should be made and the Opposition parties should shun their political difference and unite on this issue to make the country free from terrorism and violence. The government needed to engage with the Afghanistan’s interim government to stop the use of its soil against Pakistan and help in making Pakistan a peaceful country, she added. The Sindh government, she said is already working with dedication to control the bandits and it should further scale-up its efforts to achieve optimum results in this regard.

MNA Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) said it is the responsibility of the state to ensure protection of public life and property whereas the martyrs of Sindh Police deserved great homage and acclaim for their ultimate sacrifices in the cause of fight against the bandits.

She said that the Sindh government was already taking efforts but it was important to empower the Sindh Police with most-modern weapons and training to effectively undertake anti-bandit operations. MNA Atif Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said that it was a serious issue mounting every day as the public life and property in Katcha areas was at risk and the state authorities should ensure all out efforts to eliminate this menace.

MNA Naz Baloch of PPPP said that the issue of bandits was a serious matter that needed special attention of the quarters concerned whereas the provincial government of Sindh was making efforts to control the situation.

She added that the bandits were not lonely found in Katcha areas but have their safe havens in other parts of the province as well. Baloch noted that the PPPP government in Sindh would leave no stone unturned to eliminate the bandits of Katcha as public safety and peace is their top priority. MNA Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) said that the Sindh Police needed rigorous changes and training to improve its efficiency in the operations against bandits.

He added that it was necessary to deploy rangers along with Sindh Police in the Katcha areas so that effective anti-bandit operations against the bandits, he said, “the people of Sindh are directly impacted from the bandit’s violences as no economic activity could be done in those areas and businesses and exports are bearing the burden of this violence which is detrimental to the local masses.”

Barrister Gohar Ali of PTI said the issue of terrorism was a matter of great concern and the recent attack on the Chinese officials in Karachi was highly condemnable act. He said, “If Chinese are attacked entire Pakistani nation is attacked. The PTI took its complete delegation to condole the previous incident of terrorism against Chinese at the Embassy of China in Islamabad.” Barrister Gohar demanded that the government has to ensure their security on priority and make fool proof arrangements in this regard.