May 18, 2007	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 01, 1428

KARACHI, May 17: The Adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister for Home Affairs, Waseem Akhtar, has defended his security plan for the chief justice’s May 12 visit to the city, despite the fact that over 40 persons were killed and over 100 were wounded in armed political clashes on the day.

However, he did concede that policemen were unarmed, carrying only batons, but also claimed that they were equipped with weapons wherever it was necessary.

“We decide where the policemen would carry arms and where not. The world over the police do not carry lethal weapons while managing political rallies. We did not want trigger-happy policemen who could have opened fire on the public turning the public against the government,” Waseem Akhtar told Dawn here on Thursday.

Brushing aside the notion that police and Rangers were absent from the roads on the day, the adviser said: “We had 250,000 people from different political parties on the road, and only 8,000 policemen to deal with them. Surely all the arrangements could not have been foolproof.”

He claimed that the police and Rangers acted as a buffer between the clashing groups, otherwise the death toll could have been in the hundreds. However, when questioned why the law-enforcement personnel were not hit in the crossfire, the adviser claimed that a policeman lost his life while 11 others were wounded in the firing.

Mr Akhtar was of the firm opinion that the aides and advisers of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry chose not to inform him of the security threats, which had been communicated to the registrar of the Supreme Court by the Sindh home department.

“Had the chief justice been informed about the contents of the letter issued by the home department requesting him to postpone his visit, he surely would have done so and consulted the interior secretary, verifying the nature of the threats mentioned in the letter,” Mr Akhtar asserted.

He blamed the advisers of the chief justice, accusing Aitzaz Ahsan for deliberately hiding the facts and keeping the chief justice in the dark about the Karachi visit.

“Actually, Mr Ahsan seems more interested in political mileage rather then finding an amicable solution,” he added.

Putting across his side of the story, the adviser to the chief minister said that he was instructed by the Sindh High Court to ensure the security of the CJ and the route of his liking, especially advising against transporting him aboard a helicopter.

“On May 7, we received an application from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement seeking permission to take out a rally from Quaidabad to Tibet Centre, whereas no other political party sought any permission from the home department to take out any rally. It is only through the media that we learnt about the other political parties also taking out rallies on May 12. Even the advisers of the chief justice didn’t bother to inform the home department about the CJ’s route,” Waseem Akhtar remarked.

“I sent three senior officials of the Sindh government – the home secretary, provincial police officer and the DCO -- to receive the chief justice, to take care of him.

“We had arranged a bullet-proof car and passage through the Malir Cantonment for the CJ. But he declined the offer, saying that he would only leave when his hosts came to receive him,” the home adviser said.

Mr Akhtar took responsibility for blocking access to the airport and the Sindh High Court on May 12, saying that otherwise the political activists could have stormed both the places, though he held the opposition parties responsible for deflating the tyres of the trucks and buses parked on Sharea Faisal.

Failing to give a satisfactory reply to a question about why the home department did not request the Muttahida Qaumi Movement to postpone its May 12 rally, in view of the volatile situation, the adviser again held the CJ’s aides responsible for not conveying to him the true picture.

As for the firing upon Aaj television’s office, the adviser home affairs said that “if a building is situated between two fronts, it is bound to take some of the shots, though again it should not have happened,” Mr Akhtar said.

However, he questioned why Aaj journalist Talat Husain was lying in the gallery, saying that he should have been sitting in a room instead of creating hype.

“They (Aaj television) used the occasion to create unnecessary hype,” the adviser remarked.

Replying to a query as to why no help was dispatched to Aaj TV despite their repeated requests, he said that he didn’t receive a call, otherwise he would have reached the spot himself.

Replying to a question about the present government’s seriousness about carrying out a de-weaponisation drive, considering the amount of heavy weaponry seen last Saturday, the adviser said that there are no arms manufacturing factories in Karachi. He added that the source should be cleaned, admitting that it is a difficult proposition.