Outraged by a surge in street crime and the killing of youth in robberies, opposition lawmakers from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) staged a loud protest during the Sindh Assembly session on Friday, condemning the provincial government and police for their failure to address the issue before walking out of the house.
Their protest elicited a strong response from the treasury benches as Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) legislators defended the performance of the Sindh police, claiming they had significantly reduced street crime in the metropolis.
The MQM-P lawmakers were prepared from the start of the session to tackle the issue of street crime. Following the recitation of the Holy Quran, the session—intended for Home Minister Zia Lanjar to answer questions from both sides—quickly became disorderly with opposition MPAs creating an uproar.
As the home minister addressed questions, primarily from opposition members, MQM-P MPs aggressively questioned the police’s role and the government’s strategy, criticizing the “failure” of law enforcement agencies in the city.
Home Minister Defends Police Performance, Claims Crimes Curbed ‘To a Large Extent’ With multiple legislators speaking simultaneously, the session became noisy and inaudible, prompting Speaker Awais Qadir Shah to intervene and request both sides to maintain decorum.
However, the speaker’s intervention failed to restore order as MQM-P MPs stood up, chanted slogans, and displayed portraits of victims killed in recent armed robberies across the city. Sindh Assembly Opposition Leader Ali Khursheedi defended his party’s protest as a “lifeline for the people of Karachi.”
“The law and order in Karachi is crucial for all of us. We aren’t protesting for amusement. This is not the right way to conduct the session,” he said. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, present in the House, expressed displeasure over the opposition’s protest methods, calling it inappropriate for members to stand and speak without the speaker’s permission or waiting their turn.
During the home minister’s replies, cross talk between legislators on both sides continued. MQM-P’s Qurat-ul-Ain Khan questioned police performance over the past month, criticizing the law enforcement agency’s failure to prevent bandits from killing Karachi’s youth.
The home minister defended the police’s performance, stating they had ‘contained’ the crime rate and increased the number of suspect arrests.
MQM-P legislators, dissatisfied with the response, raised further questions. Treasury bench legislators countered with their own questions, seemingly to pressure the MQM-P and gain political leverage for the ruling PPP.
PPP’s Sadia Javed brought up the past trend of bodies being found in gunny bags daily. Syeda Marvi Rashidi questioned the political associations and fates of Ajmal Pahari and Saulat Mirza following their arrests by Karachi police.
These questions, targeting the MQM-P for its alleged history of violence, triggered further protest from the opposition, who called it a tactic to “divert from the real issue of street crimes in Karachi.”
Home Minister Lanjar, unconvinced by the opposition’s protest, agreed to respond to the queries from female legislators. He credited Karachi police for ending the trend of violence and body bags through their efforts and sacrifices.
Regarding Saulat Mirza, he stated the “convicted killer” had already met his fate under the law and was uncertain about Ajmal Pahari’s current status.
“Ajmal Pahari was arrested by Karachi police and imprisoned, but I don’t know his current status. I don’t know if he has been released by court order or an executive order,” he said.
MQM-P MPA Bilquees Mukhtar then asked about alleged gangsters Rahman Dakait and Uzair Baloch, who “ruthlessly killed people of Karachi and extorted money from businessmen.”
The minister replied that Karachi police had “eliminated Rahman Dakait” in an encounter, and Uzair Baloch was behind bars, facing multiple serious charges.
