• SUP claims elected representatives, feudal lords harbouring criminals, laments surge in kidnappings despite Rangers, police operations
• CPP wonders why gangsters not targeting elite

HYDERABAD: Speakers at a conference organised by the Awami Tehreek (AT) in the local press club on Friday expressed their deep concern over unabated activities of dacoit gangs and warned that the situation, along with usurpation of Sindh’s resources, had jeopardised the very existence of the province.

AT president Lal Jarwar told the conference, titled ‘Stop handing over Sindh to dacoits’, that the dacoit culture was deliberately created to spread a wave of intimidation in the province. “Today, it’s a question of Sindh’s very existence,” he said, pointing out that resources of the province were being occupied and usurped.

“Once people lost Sindh, they would not be able to get it back,” he warned, and deplored, what he called “the plan to kill Indus River”.

Lal Jarwar said that AT would organise a rally on issues of Sindh to condemn federal government for having turned Sindh into a battlefield.

Sindh United Party (SUP) President Syed Zain Shah told the conference that cases of kidnaping for ransom and murder had been continuing despite heavy deployment of police and Rangers personnel in certain areas of Sindh. He claimed that elected representatives along with feudal lords were harbouring dacoits and their accomplices, present within police. He noted that weapons were reaching dacoit gangs through black market which, he said, had destroyed peace in Sindh.

Mr Shah believed that planning was made to occupy the Sindh-Balochistan coastal belt in the name of corporate farming. He said that Sindh government should ensure peace across the province or quit.

Awami Workers Party (AWP) leader Dr Bukhshal Thallu remarked that “state is devouring itself”. State-owned lands should be distributed among landless peasants instead of handing them over to local and foreign investors for corporate farming, he stressed.

Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP) Secretary General Imdad Qazi observed that “state stands divided today”. He wondered that dacoits neither kidnapped nor killed anyone belonging to the powerful elite class.

The others who spoke at the conference included Awami Jamhoori Party (AJP) leader Lal Shah, Prof Mushtaq Mirani, senior journalist G. N. Mughal and Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) representatives Imdad Chandio, Ghurana Arain, Iqbal Mallah, Dastagir Bhatti and Dr Badar Channa.

Resolutions

The conference adopted several resolutions expressing concern over lawlessness in Sindh, especially in Sukkur and Larkana divisions where gangsters equipped with sophisticated weapons had been causing a surge in terrorism.

The conference participants noted that dacoits were kidnapping and torturing innocent people and demanding ransom for their release. If the victims’ families could not pay the ransom, the hostages were killed and videos were uploaded on the social media. These gangs were engaged in smuggling, drug trafficking and minting ransom money; all this involves over Rs2bn annually. Such activities thrive with complicity of local authorities, police and rulers, exacerbating deteriorating security situation, according to a resolution.

It termed it ‘mockery of rule of law’ as in more than 15 years of PPP rule over Sindh, peace had become a dream for people. Despite operations, ground reality remained unchanged and the funds allocated for such efforts were seemingly misappropriated.

According to the resolutions, ineffectiveness of measures is highlighted by prevalence of banditry and acquisition of sophisticated weaponry beyond capabilities of law enforcement agencies. Questions regarding supply sources of modern weapon for bandits, their training and a lack of decisive action against them remain unanswered.

The conference called for a judicial commission to investigate the matter and prosecute those involved in arming and supporting bandits.

It demanded recovery of all hostages held by gangs and removal of incompetent and corrupt officials from the police force. It also stressed reforms, including provision of modern equipment and facilities to law enforcers for effective operations against bandits, and improved conditions across the province, as well as compensation for [slain/injured] police personnel.

It further demanded a transparent probe into the utilisation of funds released for the operations in Sindh over the last 15 years. Details of those responsible for murders of Allah Rakhio Nandwani, Ajmal Sawand, Jan Mohammad Mahar and other such people should be made public, it said.

The conference also demanded establishment of higher education institutions in memory of Ajmal Sawand and Allah Rakhio Nandwani.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2024