ISLAMABAD: A counsel representing Professor Ibrahim of the Jamaat-i-Islami alleged in the Supreme Court on Monday that the “Muttahida Qaumi Movement has conquered Karachi and that even the army chief could not dare enter the city without its prior approval”.

However, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry rubbished the assertions of Ghulam Nabi advocate by stating that when a bench of the apex court was hearing a case about law and order situation in Karachi, the army chief was present in the city.

A three-judge bench headed by the chief justice heard a petition challenging the Action in Aid of Civil Power Regulations-2011 under which an internment centre has been set up near the Afghan border at Landi Kotal to allow civil administration to confine persons accused of terrorism.

The court also wrote a statement on behalf of the counsel after he admitted that miscreants were disturbing law and order situation in Pata (provincially administered tribal areas), but insisted that all terrorists should be dealt with equally.

He said the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should be tackled in the same manner as those in Balochistan and Karachi where no such regulations had been issued to deal with terrorists. “They have made three categories for terrorists — one each for KP, Balochistan and Karachi.”

His attention was drawn by the court to a letter sent by the tribal affairs department of KP to the federal interior ministry in which assistance was sought from the federal government. In reply the interior minister had asked the defence ministry for army deployment in the province to deal with terrorists.

The chief justice observed that a particular situation prevailed in KP and that the regulation could be declared illegal and unconstitutional by the court, but that withdrawal of armed forces from the operational areas would leave the people at the mercy of terrorists.

Ghulam Nabi accused the armed forces of committing excesses and said bodies in sacks were being found and innocent people were being killed in heavy bombardment.

The court ordered Fata secretary Jamal Nasir and advocate Raja Muhammad Irshad, representing premier intelligence agencies, to submit a report on the situation in Fata.

The hearing was adjourned till Tuesday.