KARACHI: Opposition parties on Tuesday attacked the provincial government for its ongoing inability to maintain law and order throughout the province and the rising number of kidnapping cases for ransom in Katcha areas, amid loud calls for the immediate start of an army operation against dacoits in Sindh’s riverine areas.
The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Jamaat-i-Islami, Grand Democratic Alliance, Awami Tehreek, and Sindh United Party strongly criticized and condemned the provincial government in response to the recent spate of killings of kidnapping victims and the daylight murder of a primary schoolteacher. They demanded that dacoits in the riverine areas be stopped immediately.
After their families failed to provide the ransom before the deadline, dacoits on Monday shot and killed two captives in Ghotki, throwing their bodies into the Indus River close to Ubauro town.
The same day, in a village in Kandhkot-Kashmore that was deemed a “no-go” region, dacoits shot and killed a primary schoolteacher who was en route to his classroom. With the teacher’s motorcycle, the dacoits were able to flee into the adjacent riverine area.
The GDA went one step farther and urged that a military operation be started in the riverine areas, even though almost every opposition party called for strict action against lawlessness.
The Sindh Apex Committee, an assembly of military and civilian authorities, has repeatedly approved operations in riverine areas.
Initially, in March 2023, the cabinet led by Murad Ali Shah approved a clean-up operation. Later, on September 14, 2023, the caretaker cabinet discussed the issue and decided to initiate a large-scale operation in the riverine area and shut down internet services.
The 28th Apex Committee meeting, held on September 22, of last year, authorized, once more, a thorough coordinated operation including the army and Rangers against dacoits in the riverine districts.
For whatever reason, though, the Katcha dacoit operation remained simply in the planning stages.
The absence of advanced military-grade weapons, including sniper rifles, grenade launchers, mortars, night vision gear, and drones, was cited as one of the reasons the operation was delayed. The interior ministry’s approval of a no-objection certificate (NOC) allowing the purchase of such firearms is still pending. Later, the operation was postponed by the two provinces’ authorities until the Indus River’s water level lowered.
For several weeks, the three interim provincial governments had been debating the possibility of simultaneously launching a joint operation in all three provinces. However, it did not seem as though they had finished their planning or eliminated any obstacles before initiating the action in Sindh and Punjab’s riverine regions.
PTI raises serious concerns
The PTI expressed significant worries over the concerning increase in dacoits’ criminal activities in riverine areas. It said that since the new provincial government “seized” power through “election rigging,” the dacoits had increased the severity of their cruel acts and heinous crimes.
A PTI spokesperson issued a statement in Islamabad, stating that while the national media was keeping quiet and was unable to report on the concerning situation due to stringent restrictions, social media activists, media representatives, and regular people were continuously alerting the public to the horrific crimes committed by Kacha’s bandits.
In order to protect the lives and property of the nation’s citizens, he urged the governments of Sindh, Punjab, and the Central government to cease their “patronage” of the dacoits of Kacha.
JI’s criticizes waderas
Leader of Jamaat-i-Islami Sirajul Haq claimed that bandit rule had been enforced in Sindh and that there was instability throughout the entire nation. “People from all over the country are kidnapped and imprisoned here; no one’s life, property, or honor are safe,” he declared.
The JI head was speaking to the media during the burial prayers of JI Sindh deputy general secretary Abdul Hafeez Bijarani, who was killed in a car accident close to Karampur, according to a party statement.
According to Mr. Haq, the police, tribal chiefs, and feudal lords were all implicated in the kidnapping instances involving ransom.
“The waderas are acting as middlemen and collecting their cut from the families of the victims and robbers.”
GDA wants to engage in combat
In a statement, GDA secretary general Sardar Abdul Rahim said that dacoits controlled regions like Khairpur, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Larkana, Ghotki, and others.
He insisted that the abducted victims must be found and that a military campaign against the dacoits in Katcha must be initiated. Only when the bandits were vanquished could normalcy be restored.
The GDA head claimed that by assigning the provincial police to protocol-related tasks, they had become entirely politicized and passive.
He claimed that the vicious bandits were publicly shooting hostages to death and posting films to social media that went viral.
According to Sardar Rahim, the impacted areas should see a successful military operation carried out until the bandits and their supporters are totally eradicated.
SUP denounces the murders of teachers.
President of the Sindh Untied Party Syed Zain Shah declared that the PPP government had given the province to dacoits and vehemently denounced the murder of primary school teacher Allah Rakhiyo Nandwani in Kandhkot.
He continued, “While their representatives are robbing the people by sponsoring robbers, the PPP leadership is looting Sindh.”
Despite spending billions of rupees, he claimed in a statement that the province’s status of law and order had gotten worrying.
AT criticizes the refuge for dacoits
Lal Jarwar, the head of Awami Tehreek, claimed that the province had become a refuge for dacoits who had terrorized the populace.
He stated in a statement released in Hyderabad that the dacoits were given permission to continue their immoral and unlawful robbery business as soon as the PPP administration took office.
He claimed that dacoit control had spread to the districts of Sukkur, Kashmore, Kundhkot, Jacobabad, Ghotki, and Shikarpur, where residents were frequently the targets of kidnappings and extortion.
The leader of the AT declared that the feudal lords who enabled the dacoits deserved to be prosecuted in court.
The Awami Tehreek further asked that the Sindh High Court and the Supreme Court step in and reinstate the rule of law in the region.
