KARACHI, June 8: The Sindh Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a resolution recommending to the government to take strict measures against extortionists and terrorists and provide adequate security and protection to the business community in the city.

Highlighting the need to find out the reasons for failure of law-enforcement agencies to deliver, lawmakers called upon police and the Rangers to take prompt and effective action against criminals and provide protection to people and traders.

During the session, which was called to order at 11am by Deputy Speaker Syeda Shehla Raza, the other business transacted by the assembly included a resolution to pay tribute to all officers and jawans who lost their lives defending Siachen. By the resolution, moved by lawmaker Arif Mustafa Jatoi and signed by Faisal Sabzwari and other legislators, the house requested the government to convey to the federal government gratitude and sympathies on behalf of the people of Sindh to the families of those who laid down their lives protecting the country’s freedom.

The resolution pertaining to law and order was tabled out of turn under Rule 211 of the rules of procedures of the Sindh Assembly.

Speaking on the resolution, Muttahida Qaumi Movement lawmaker Aamir Moin Pirzada said that traders were harassed by extortionists within a radius of 2.5 kilometres in the old city areas where rockets had been fired and hand grenades lobbed for the past few years. The traders often received threats to their lives, he said, questioning the role of the law-enforcement agencies in tackling the crime. He also wondered which forces were backing the extortionists. The role of police and Rangers in the localities had been very disappointing, he added.

He called for providing protection to the traders and businessmen whose contribution had made Karachi the country’s economic hub.

Another MQM lawmaker, Shoaib Ibrahim, said traders from Tower to the Numaish area were finding it difficult to run their businesses. It was a conspiracy to fail the government and required concrete measures to foil it, he added.

Awami National Party legislator Amanullah Masood said at a time when all political parties were complaining about targeted killing of their workers what the law-enforcement agencies were doing to deal with the situation.

He proposed that a separate cell be set up to tackle extortion activities.

MQM lawmaker Muzammil Qureshi said that traders in Gulshan-i-Iqbal were being threatened from certain phone numbers, which could easily be traced by police, yet the extortionists and terrorists had not been brought to book.

Ayesha Khoso of the Pakistan People’s Party said that when workers of all parties in the house were being targeted, all ought to join heads to find a solution.

Another PPP lawmaker, Farzana Hanif Baloch, said that life of everyone, irrespective of what language they spoke, was precious. The people sitting in the house could deliver if they were sincere and God fearing, she remarked.

Legislator Nusrat Sahar Abbasi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional said that mutilated bodies were found in different areas on a daily basis.

MQM lawmaker Syed Sardar Ahmad said that extortion was a matter concerning everyone as it was not restricted to any particular area of the city.

Law Minister Ayaz Soomro wrapping up the discussion on the resolution said since the induction of the PPP-led coalition government, the incidents of extortion and terrorism had increased, which was a big conspiracy against democracy.

He said radicals, extortionists and terrorists were after the peace of Karachi while the bureaucracy was yet to come to terms with the PPP-led coalition government. However, he added, all-out efforts were being made to find and expose those behind the conspiracy.

After the speech of the law minister, when the resolution was put to the house, it was unanimously passed.

The resolution reads: “Of late the incidents of targeted killing, extortion (Bhatta) and brutal murder of those who decline to pay bhatta have registered an unprecedented increase. Only yesterday a trader Abdul Hameed was shot dead near Memon Masjid, M.A. Jinnah Road, by extortionists.

“Such cold-blooded murders by the terrorists, including extortionists, have compelled the business community to give a strike call for shutdown if the law enforcing agencies fail to provide security and protection to the traders and take prompt action within the next 72 hours.”

Before the chair adjourned the session at 12.50pm to meet on Monday at 4pm for the presentation of 2012-13 budget, two government bills (No 17 and 18 of 2012) — The Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Sakrand and The Lyari and the Malir Development Authorities (Revival and Amending) — were introduced, while the bill No 16 of 2009 on the same subject was withdrawn.

Earlier, MQM lawmaker Kamran Yusuf raised the issue of non-payment of salaries for the past five months to 3,000 employees of Wasa, Hyderabad. He said that a summary of a subsidy of Rs691 million was awaiting approval of the chief minister.

Responding to the issue, Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani said that the government was striving to sort out this longstanding issue on a permanent basis and expressed hope to find a solution to the problem soon.