It is an established, uncontroversial fact that the violence, extortion and land-grabbing that have become a routine part of life in Karachi are facilitated by political parties who have their own armed wings and also patronise criminals. Should we now add a branch of the military to the list of culprits? An investigative report has revealed that officers from the naval intelligence had been caught kidnapping a fisheries trader for ransom. Two other members of the gang were found hiding at the naval intelligence headquarters. The navy has denied this account. It needs to do better than issue rote denials. It is entirely possible that these were rogue members who were operating without the knowledge of anyone in the naval intelligence, but the longer the navy stonewalls the harder it becomes to defend that proposition. The navy needs to realise the wisdom of the famous maxim that the cover-up is always worse than the crime. Its credibility will be damaged far more if it continues to protect these men rather than provide an honest accounting and ensure that justice is served. A scandal only has legs when the authorities misuse their power to protect their own. Those involved in the kidnapping should be dishonourably discharged and face justice, whether civilian or military. The incident exposes further just how big a problem abductions for ransom are in Karachi and indeed in other cities where they seem to be spreading. There have been incidents, reports, revelations and complaints showing that not just political parties and naval intelligence personnel but men from other security outfits in Karachi may be involved as well in the ‘lucrative business’ and this may well be a much more organised network than we may have thought. This year alone, at least 72 people are reported to have been kidnapped for ransom in Karachi alone. For 2012, the number stands at 134, and of course it is possible that some cases are not reported at all, with families preferring to make private deals and simply paying off the amount sought without taking the risk of involving police or other forces. It is ironic that this incident came at a time when political parties, particularly the MQM, had been calling on the army to intervene in Karachi to sort out the law-and-order situation. Conditions in Karachi are so bad right now that almost all institutions are corrupted by the knowledge that it is easy to make a quick buck. The promise of power and easy money has proven too tempting for our political parties and, as this episode may have shown, there is no reason to believe that others will not be lured in by the temptation. The only way to stem this criminality is with openness. The activities of intelligence men are considered above the ambit of public scrutiny. That will have to change. We simply cannot afford to see our most sensitive forces engaged in such crimes or forming part of a mafia. The matter must be investigated thoroughly. If there is even a smidgen of truth to it we must get to the bottom of the whole matter. This is too dangerous a situation to ignore.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Sep 2013 14:36:58 +0000
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