ISLAMABAD, June 2: The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) vice- chairman, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, has condemned the federal and Sindh governments for their failure in maintaining law and order, particularly in Karachi.

The PPP vice-chairman, in a statement issued here on Wednesday, said: "Never before terrorists, fanatics and extremists had such a free hand to strike at will at targets of their choice as is under the military government."

Mr Fahim said the statement by a government spokesman in the wake of Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai's murder that Gen Pervez Musharraf was about to take important decisions about Sindh and Karachi gave rise to suspicions that military rulers were actually waiting for the terrorists to strike to take some decisions suiting their political ambitions.

The PPP vice-chairman said the deteriorating law and order situation was the direct outcome of the marginalization of political forces by the military rulers on one hand, and the moral, legal and constitutional bankruptcy of the junta on the other.

"When the rulers are busy making army officers real estate agents and involving the military into politics, it would inevitably pit the people against the army and state institutions," he said.

In such a situation, the foremost casualty is not only the law and order situation but also the political institutions, which alone can mobilize the people against terrorists and terrorism, he added.

The PPP leader said it was an alarming sign that even the civil society had become insensitive to the situation. The deadening of the society's soul is the direct result of the militarization of the society.

Mr Fahim asked the military rulers to read the writing on the wall, which was very clear. He asked the government to immediately hold free and fair elections under the auspices of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and send back the army to the barracks.

The PPP leader also asked the government to give compensation to the victims of violence. He expressed sympathy with the bereaved families and prayed for the early recovery of the injured.

Our staff reporter from Pindi adds: Shabab-i-Mili Pakistan (SMP), an offshoot of Jamaat-i-Islami, has held the federal and Sind governments responsible for terrorist incidents in Karachi.

Speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday, the SMP central leader, Raza Ahmad Shah, said people with 'suspicious' background had been included in the government. These people were involved in terrorist activities and wanted by the government in various cases, he added.

He said many of the ministers in the centre and provincial governments, especially Sindh, had cases against them in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). But were included in the cabinet after striking deals with the government, he alleged.