Later today evening the police in Karachi did a massive crackdown on gangsters located within the densely populated area of Lyari which then erupted in a gun battle, reports came in that a few people have been killed and a number injured. It seems that IG Karachi Shoaib Suddle in getting into action

Police in Karachi were embroiled in a deadly gunbattle with gangsters Wednesday in Lyari, a rundown town of the country’s biggest city. Police sent 100 officers and four armoured vehicles into Lyari on Wednesday in a bid to arrest underworld kingpins fighting a bloody turf war, Lyari police chief Imran Shaukat said. However, the officers met stiff resistance from gang members armed with automatic weapons and hand grenades. Shaukat said there were “a few casualties, some fatal.” He said at least one gangster was killed and police also suffered casualties. DAWN Latest News

I had a persisting elevated temperature for a while my cousin who is a doctor (Anesthetist) put me on some antibiotics but when these medicines didn’t work he got me an appointment for a general physician but because there was almost a week before I would see this new physician so in the mean while I decided to see another doctor ( Doctor “A”) who was recommended by an elderly neighbor.

(more…)

Ever since Suddle took charge it seems Karachi-related news does include his name almost daily now. THE NEWS reports low intensity operation being planned by Sindh Police to control crimes.

“The Sindh Police, under its new chief Dr Shoaib Suddle, are putting its act together to launch a “low intensity operation” against terrorists, kidnappers, extortionists and miscreants.” Read complete story

While past mistakes need not to be repeated, it is hoped that this operation would be without any discrimination else it would just be another of the typical eye-wash acts our gov. do every time they come into power.

After reading barristerakc’s comment i wonder what our police and intelligence agencies are doing if even ordinary citizens know about crime-pattern in this city. I shall reproduce his assessment as post and readers may agree/disagree but it seems like its more of a will problem than anything else when its resources vs performance. In a recent press conference the IG Sindh announced changes to improve the performance of policemen but as Sindh Police plans a low intensity operation, intelligence and honesty to the cause would be the key (more…)

Dawn Blog is reporting a sharp increase in crimes in Karachi. According to the report, Gulshan-e-Iqbal tops the list with most crimes committed (car and mobile phone snatching). Just about a couple of weeks ago, a neighbor who is a senior police officer was shown a gun and his unregistered Toyota corolla was taken away.

Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town reported the highest occurrence of car theft as 41 cars were taken at gun point and 100 were stolen. The second most likely place to have a car stolen was Clifton, where 20 automobiles were snatched at gun point and 64 were reported stolen. North Nazimabad came in third with 25 armed carjacking and 59 stolen vehicles.

With the political scenario obviously tense in the city, security is the first casualty and we all need to be one notch more careful.

In June 1995, monthly killings in Karachi were 350. In January 1996, this figure had come down to 0.

The Deputy Inspector General at the time was Dr. Shoaib Suddle. The same man who’s been appointed the new Inspector General of Police, Sindh replacing the much-criticised Azhar Ali Farooqui following the violence on April 9.

The appointment by Mr. Zardari, however, is not without controversy. Dr. Suddle, who did his PhD in White Collar Criminology from the University of Wales, Cardiff, was implicated in the killing of Benazir Bhutto’s brother, Mir Murtaza Bhutto in September 1996 from which he was exonerated in 1997. He is not a popular figure with MQM either who hold him responsible for ‘extra judicial killings in 1995-1996.

(more…)

On March 24th as Ali Hassan Solangi left the mosque in Hyderabad, he was kidnapped at Gunpoint by 4 men and taken to the Shah Bukhari Shrine. When he reached there his hands were chopped off at the wrists by his kidnappers, he was shot in both legs and acid was thrown in his face. His kidnappers then left him there to die.He was rescued by people who heard him screaming in intolerable pain at the shrine and is now in Room #8, Burns Ward LUMHS Hyderabad City as of April 08 2008.

His only crime was what we keep screaming for our police to do, uphold the law!

The story behind this gruesome torture as told by the victim is: “I (Ali Hassan) was on duty during the Local Body Elections on August 25, 2005, at the Polling Station Govt Boys High School Khabar Khero, UC #4 Qasim Abad. Noor Muhammad Shoro, who was contesting for the seat of the Taluka Nazim and Deedar Shoro, the candidate for UC Nazim came to the polling station. They started casting bogus votes. When the Presiding Officer, Professor Naila Jarwar tried to stop them, they physically attacked her and tore her cloths. It was unbearable for me so I interrupted them and pushed them out of the polling station as it was my duty to safeguard the polling staff. Meanwhile, I also called up the Rangers for help. When the Rangers arrived, they arrested the two men. While they were being arrested, both Noor Muhammad Shoro and Deedar Shoro extended threats to me. I think chopping my hands is a punishment for my loyalty to my duty. I am proud of my hands which
were raised against injustice and I am optimistic that one day I will get justice.”

I condemn this action against a brave police officer with the utmost disgust!!! I plea to our authorities to do something for the plight of Ali Hassan Solangi or else those who think for even a second of courage in our police force will never dare to exercise it ever again.

Story source : A Reluctant Mind

 
Plagiarism is the word, our leading newspapers may spell it C-o-n-v-e-n-i-e-n-c-e (due to easy availability) but it’s Plagiarism and nothing more or less. The practice is getting very common in this country several low-budget magazines and newspapers are literary living on plagiarism but it feels really dark when such a breach of journalistic ethics comes from a Pakistan’s leading news paper, Dawn. On the 7 of April in a weekly issue of their Business and Reviews section appeared a picture, a picture which was originally taken by me and was used in one of my posts at KMB. This picture printed in monochrome had a barely visible KMB monogram and the portion where I had originally mention my name and the date the shot was taken on was so blurred that the information was totally illegible. There were no image credits in print anywhere in the article or by the picture, we were not notified and no permissions were asked for. The articles and the images shared on KMB are governed by Creative Commons (Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported ) and the attributions allow sharing only for only non commercial purposes. But the newspaper is a commercial entity.  

But it’s really not about my rights being violated, but more importantly it is about a leading newspaper which is out there to set an example for others and sadly it does not follow basic journalistic ethics it’s self. No wonder we are a country known for frauds, cheating, and pirating all over the world.  

I don’t know who took these photographs as I received this in an email. However, the pictures speak for themselves, ’nuff said.

Is this how we treat others’ hard earned money? Edit: I’m still dubious about the intentions though.
Ref: Link

What kind of a message are we trying to send here?

I wanted to write something on the riots that occurred yesterday but i was too tired. I happen to be among one of those unfortunate people who do business in the I.I Chundrigarh Rd/M.A Jinnah Rd area. Yesterday afternoon was spent in a mass exodus of panic which usually follows any rioting, or rumors in this area. As per usual everyone runs for their homes and one gets stuck in traffic for 2 to 3 hrs while families frantically call each other to find out whereabouts of those in transit.

What follows the day after though is like salt on ones wounds. Right now i am sitting in my office at 2pm while 14, yes 14 brand new police mobiles are patrolling the entire area in single file with sirens blaring. Perhaps to make us, the business community and office goers in the area feel safe. I would like to ask our authorities where these mobiles were hidden when mayhem broke out yesterday? Why were they not doing what is occurring right now?

I would also like to ask all our readers to if they can, please explain to me what has changed between Martial Law as it was before the elections and Democracy which is the supposed system in existence today in accordance with their daily lives?

Ok granted the new government has barely had time to function before all hell is seemingly breaking loose from every quarter, perhaps at the will of those who were in power before or whatever. The fact still staring me bleakly in the face is that i do not feel any safer, or the climate any less hazardous for work or for business then it was before. I too went and voted at the polls in hope of a better tomorrow, i too want our political parties to stop behaving like firearms who’s triggers are pressed from somewhere else.

When will it happen though? When will we see an era where the people elected hold themselves responsible for the problems of their own constituencies and do something about solving them. Rather than give speeches to the media and complain about this and that. Till that happens, democracy will remain a bad joke played by the west on our people.

Meanwhile i shall now invest in some cotton buds to save my ears from the piercing sirens of these Police Mobiles. Screaming to all and sundry, Democracy is here but it is of no bloody use.