By Chathushka Perera
Islamabad, Pakistan (CWBN)_ The Court of Inquiry implemented on the orders of Pakistan Army Chief of Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa to probe into what is now being called the “Karachi incident” issued a statement on Tuesday (10th Nov) which recommended the removal of members of the Inter-Services Intelligence and Pakistan Rangers who were involved in what is being described as an “unwarranted situation”.
The probe was launched after serious allegations were raised against the Pakistani Army and PM Imran Khan’s government for abducting the incumbent Chief of Police of the Sindh, Mushtaq Mehar, and forcing him to issue an arrest warrant against Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) leader, Muhammad Safdar.
The charges against Safdar were for the apparent violation of the Mazar-e-Quaid (Mausoleum of the founder of Pakistan) by leading the crowd gathered into a chant “give respect to the vote”, which is seen as outcry against military interference in civil affairs.
Safdar was arrested at a hotel in Karachi on the 18th of October, just a few hours after the second Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) rally was held. The rally questioned the government and its policies and garnered strong public support, but it was the abduction that heated things up with the regional police, threatening an indefinite strike.
The government and the military wing are now being accused of “covering up” the incident but the government and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chairperson of the Pakistani Peoples Party, welcomed the decision taken while addressing a gathering in Gibgit-Balitistan held yesterday.
Moreover, the ISI and Army are yet to comment regarding those removed from service, including the number of those involved in the abduction and the corresponding ranks.
However, a statement released by the Public Relations Department of the ISI stated that “they [security forces] were under increasing public pressure to ensure prompt action as per the law. Assessing the response of the police authorities against the developing yet volatile situation to be slow and wanting, in a changed environment, the concerned ISI/Ranger officers decided to act, rather overzealously,” and that “they were indeed experienced enough to have acted more prudently and could have avoided creating an unwarranted situation that led to misunderstanding between the two state institutions”.
Edited by Kaveesha Fernando
