KARACHI, Aug 26: Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, a former chief justice of the Supreme Court, on Sunday observed that the role of all intelligence agencies, including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), should be defined in the statute book for which parliament should make appropriate efforts.

“Parliament should pass an act to define the role of ISI and other intelligence agencies,” he said while presiding over a programme, Karachi ka Muqadima (Karachi’s case), organised by the Karachi Citizens Alliance at a local hotel on Sunday.

A former speaker of the National Assembly, Illahi Bux Soomro, a former speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, and prominent political and other figures including Taj Haider, Manzoor Gichki, Nafees Siddiqui, Israr Mashwani, Amir Bhambhro, Sabihuddin Ghausi, Irshad Bokhari, Shaikh Majeed, Dr Pervez Mehmood, Shahida Ghazala, Wakeel Khan, Kunwar Arshad Ali Khan and Ashraf Samo expressed their views on various issues.

The most debated issue at the programme was the May 12 bloodshed in Karachi and the role of the MQM-dominated provincial government. More than 40 people were killed and scores of others wounded in the violence that erupted when supporters of Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry emerged on roads to accord him a rousing welcome at the city’s airport. The government had barricaded most of the major thoroughfares.

The speakers said that the May 12 bloodshed had sent a wave of shock and grief across the country, particularly in Karachi.

It was for the first time that police were stripped of their weapons by the authorities while terrorists were given a freehand to go on the killing spree, said one of them. Many of more than 22 speakers criticised the role of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in the affairs, and held it responsible for the violence.

“We all should convey whatever evidence we have to the court hearing the May 12 case so that culprits could be exposed and punished,” another speaker said.

The city’s civic problems, traffic woes, injustices to the fishing community, activities of the land mafia, law and order, terrorism, unemployment and increasing street crimes were also discussed. Some of the speakers took up the matter of denial of the right place in society to Moriros, the founders of Karachi.

In his ‘judgment’, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah said the contract for representation of provinces in supreme forums of the country would have to be revised if the federation was to be saved and kept intact.

“The federation is virtually crumbling because of injustices in the country and if someone wants to strengthen it, nothing but a revised contract between the federation and the federating units will have to be agreed upon,” he said, stressing that every province should have equal representation on top forums.

He said a just society could survive and prosper only if judiciary was allowed to provide justice to all.

He observed that Karachi was faced with countless problems, and said dialogue was the only way to find a solution to every problem. Everyone should recognise Karachi as the capital of Sindh and play his due role in bringing an end to the growing sense of deprivation among the natives.

Justice Rashid A. Razvi, the other member of the judges panel, said some intelligence and secret agencies had played a role in the May 12 events in Karachi. “The ISI’s role in politics must be ended once and for all,” he suggested.

Justice Razvi said the city had witnessed various gory incidents since 1980, but in no instance the police were stripped of their weapons. “It was an example of state terrorism and nothing else,” he said, referring to the May 12 happenings in Karachi.

Justice said the next elections should be held in a free and fair manner, and an impartial and fully empowered election commission must be ensured for the purpose. He also stressed on withdrawal of Rangers from Sindh.

The gathering also observed one-minute silence to mark the first anniversary of Nawab Akber Bugti, chieftain of his tribe and head of the Jamhoori Watan Party who was killed during a military action in Balochistan.