A view of the Supreme Court’s Karachi registry. — Photo by PPI/File

KARACHI: During Wednesday’s hearing of the Karachi law and order case, Justice Anwer Zaheer Jamali said the police was operating at the behest of politicians, adding that, officials were more loyal to political parties than to their own institution, DawnNews reported.

A five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Jamali, and including Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany, Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Gulzar Ahmed heard the case.

During the hearing, the bench ordered that the government should abolish the formation of groups on the basis of language.

Responding to which, Advocate-General Sindh Abdul Fateh Malik said it was not possible to form new groupings in the city.

Attorney General Irfan Qadir said that there was a procedure available which could abolish the formation of such groupings.

Qadir added that the procedure can be successfully employed after the census.

Director-General of Sindh Rangers Maj-General Rizwan Akhtar  and Inspector General (IG) Sindh Police Mushtaq Shah also appeared during today’s hearing.

The bench inquired of DG Rangers as to what measures had been taken to provide protection to the city’s businessmen.

On which, the Rangers’ director-general said that along with the police, an additional contingent of Rangers was also assigned for the purpose.

Justice Jamali said the issue of extortion was so prevalent that groups had divided regions amongst themselves.

The bench asked DG Rangers if there was any pressure on him from any quarters.

Responding to which, he said that there was no pressure on him and that the police and Rangers conducted joint operations independently.

Justice Khilji Arif Hussain said that instead of issuing arms licenses to the citizens, the police should fulfill its responsibility of protecting the citizens.

Justice Jamali remarked that elected representatives and ministers facilitate the issuing of arms licenses in order to increase their vote bank and therefore engage in corruption.

Justice Jamali said even certain criminals who were wanted in cases were issued arms licenses, adding that, there was no system of check and balance.

Additional Home Secretary Waseem Ahmed recommended that the government should, in collaboration with the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), carry out an assessment of the arms licenses.

Ahmed said the city’s law and order situation had improved recently.

To which, Justice Hussain asked how the situation had improved when newspapers had been on a daily basis reporting on the violence prevalent in the city.

Also during the hearing, Sindh’s advocate-general said arms were being brought to Karachi from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, adding that, people were being killed on the pretexts of the language they spoke and other cultural affiliations.

Justice Jamali said ordinary citizens were not being offered any security, adding that, protection was only being provided to influential individuals.

He said the police was operating at the behest of politicians, adding that, officials were more loyal to political parties than to their own institution.

Justice Jamali further said that there was barely an industrialist or businessman in the city who did not pay extortion money.

Moreover, Justice Osmany said there was no writ of the government in the city.

Since January 2012, 1,897 people had been killed in the city, Inspector General Sindh police Mushtaq Shah said.

The hearing was subsequently adjourned until Thursday.

Earlier on Tuesday, the bench had rejected the Sindh government’s progress report on implementation of the apex court’s order in the suo motu case on Karachi killings.

The bench had observed that the city’s security situation would have been much better and the court would not have had to rehear the case if its order had been implemented in letter and spirit.

The bench had also expressed its displeasure over the delayed submission of the report.

Last year, the Supreme Court had given its detailed order in the case after the chief justice had taken suo motu action on the security situation in the city.