KARACHI, Aug 18: On a day when at least 30 people were killed across the city, a depressed home minister said: “Today is not a good day for the Sindh government, police and other law-enforcement agencies.”

While briefing the media on the decisions regarding the city’s law and order situation taken at a meeting convened by the chief minister on Thursday, Manzoor Wasan said the government had decided to take impartial action against those involved in targeted killings, street crime and extortion activities, irrespective of their political association.

The government had demonstrated enough tolerance and restraint in a bid to restore durable peace to the metropolis with the cooperation of all stakeholders but there appeared to be some elements who did not want durable peace in the city, he said.

The meeting, which was earlier held at the CM’s House, was attended by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Waseem Ahmad, Home Secretary Arif Ahmad Khan, Sindh police chief Wajid Ali Durrani, and representatives of the ISI, the MI and other law-enforcement agencies.

“We are quite aware of those hands behind this killing spree and disturbances,” the minister said, adding that the government was well aware of its responsibility to protect life and property of people.

Mr Wasan, who was flanked by Information Minister Sherjeel Memon, Secretary Information Safdar Ali Shah, Special Assistant to CM Syed Waqar Mehdi, and the Sindh police chief, said that those arrested would be brought before the media after investigations were completed.

‘Reaction or sabotage’

In response to a question, he said the fresh bout of killings could be a reaction to the previous day murder of five youngsters from Lyari or an attempt to sabotage the ongoing reconciliation talks between the Pakistan People’s Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in Islamabad.

When his attention was drawn towards the display of banners in Hyderabad demanding a new province, the home minister said that the MQM had made a categorical statement that the party was against any such move to divide Sindh. “Action will be initiated against those indulging in wall chalking and display of banners,” he said.

Mr Wasan added that Sindh had a history spread over 5,000 years and it could never be divided.

To another question, he said reconciliation did not mean vested interests what some circles kept on propagating. “When we talk about reconciliation, we mean taking along all the communities and people living in Karachi as the city can be made a cradle of peace only with sincere efforts of all the stakeholders,” he said.

The minister said normality could not return to the city merely by staging a peace rally as it needed cooperation of all parties and stakeholders with the government.

In reply to yet another question, he said the situation in Karachi did not deteriorate in a day. It had reached to this tipping point due to the policies of the past few decades. Political parties were aware of the rampant use of weapons in the city, he added.

“Karachi is a sensitive city and that’s why I being the home minister am going to everyone to seek their cooperation for peace in the city.”

Mr Wasan dispelled the impression that only the people of any specific ethnic or religious community were targeted over the past 48 hours. He said the victims were not only Urdu-speaking people but also the Balochs, the Sindhis, the Pukhtuns and even Hindus as well.

When his attention was drawn to the PML-N chief’s demand for fresh elections after dissolving the assemblies, Information Minister Sherjeel Memon said this demand was a conspiracy against democracy and insult of the mandate of people.