Check on smuggled arms, narcotics could restore Karachi peace: CJP

KARACHI: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Tuesday said that if the flow of smuggled arms and narcotics is restricted throughout Karachi, situation in the city would be normalised.

The Chief Justice, who headed three-member bench of SC, appreciated police and rangers for making efforts to arrest criminals during operation in the city and remarked that both law enforcement agencies had begun to realize their responsibility.

Other members of the bench were Justice Jawad S Khuwaja and Justice Gulzar Ahmed. After flapping through the reports submitted by rangers and police regarding clampdown against outlaws, one member of bench asked counsel appearing on behalf of Rangers whether arrested criminals were being put on trial in the courts.

Rangers counsel told the court that rangers handed over the culprits arrested by them to police, who lodged FIR and charge-sheeted them in the courts, adding that several culprits were also being interrogated by Joint Investigation Team.

To a question regarding results of operation being conducted in the city, Advocate General Sindh Khalid Javeed Khan said that operation was yielding results and law and order situation in the city had improved tremendously.

The chief justice questioned advocate general about the situation prevailing in Lyari and also asked whether Lyari was still no-go area and citizens were enjoying rights under Article 9 of the constitution, which guaranteed security to every citizen.

To which, the advocate general said that ongoing violence in Lyari was a fight between two gangster groups.

The chief justice remarked that citizens wanted to live together peacefully but the anti-social elements wanted to take hold of city by grabbing control of the economy of the city.

He said that it was necessary to preclude flow of illegal weapon in the city.Chief collector custom said that he did not back off the statement that illegal arms and ammunition were being smuggled in the city.

The chief justice said that narcotics was also second big menace than arms, by which money was generated and used by criminals to perpetrate crime.

Justice Chaudhry asked the chief collector customs about the flow of weapons in the city, who could not satisfy him.

The chief justice said that the court might order Rangers to check each and every containers leaving Port for 15 days and in this ways truth would surface. He lamented that it was very dismal situation that no one was ready to apprise the court of truth. He said that it was matter of grave concern that customs officials were not discharging their duties properly. He said that country suffers huge loss due to tax evasion and smuggling of goods.