Six Awami National Party (ANP) activists were among those killed in Tuesday’s violence.

The latest wave of target killings in Karachi remains unabated and has claimed 41 lives in last four days. These incidents started soon after the presidential announcement that local government elections would be held in Sindh within four months. Rival political parties indulged in a vicious turf war, soon after the announcement and left the city bloodied.

The affected areas included Manghopir, Pak Colony, Orangi, Sir Syed Town, Liaquatabad, Azizabad, Taimuria, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-i-Jauhar and Shah Faisal Colony.

The Sindh home department has vested the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) with powers enshrined in the Anti-Terrorists Act (ATA) and given them charge of 26 police stations.

Sindh government had already imposed Section 144 in the city. Anyone found violating these orders would be booked under Section 188.

In exercise of powers vested under Section-10 of the Pakistan Rangers Ordinance, 1959, the government of Sindh has pleased to confer upon the Pakistan Rangers Sindh all such powers as envisaged under Section 5 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 in the jurisdiction of following police stations of Karachi with immediate effect for a period of one month which may be extended.

Towns that are under Pakistan Rangers Sindh are Nazimabad, Gulberg, New Karachi Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Shara-e-Faisal, Landhi, Bin Qasim, Korangi, Orangi, Baldia, North, Liaquatabad and SITE.

Police Stations under the Pakistan Rangers Sindh include: Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Shah Faisal Colony, Shara-e-Faisal, Landhi, Khokhrapar, Malir City, Saudabad, Korangi Industrial Area, Awami Colony, Pakistan Bazar, Orangi, Peerabad, Mominabad, Iqbal Market, Mochko, Shahrah-e-Noor Jehan, Taimuria, North Nazimabad, Azizabad, Gulberg, Kohwaja Ajmer Nagri, Sir Syed, Nazimabad, Gulbahar, Rizvia and SITE-A.

After the aggressive outburst of Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza and Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani in the Sindh Assembly, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani hold a meeting with senior PPP leaders and federal ministers at the Presidency to discuss prevailing political tension in Karachi.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Naveed Qamar and Raja Pervez Ashraf, , PPP Secretary General Jahangir Badar, Leader of the House in Senate Nayyar Bokhari ,President’s Political Secretary Rukhsana Bangash and spokesman Farhatullah Babar.

Dr Mirza’s reaction on “politically motivated targeted killings”(as described by him) in Karachi and Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani’s remarks against the Karachi city government led the MQM ministers to stage a walkout from the Sindh Assembly.

Later on the same day, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani spoke to Muttahida Qaumi Movement(MQM) chief Altaf Hussain on phone .

According to a statement issued from MQM’s London Secretariat, “Prime Minster Gilani has regretted the inappropriate behavior of PPP provincial ministers during the Sindh Assembly’s session.”

In a statement, he said the country was passing through a critical stage and the need of the hour was to adopt policy of reconciliation not confrontation.

The MQM Rabita committee has alleged that, “conspiracies are being hatched to disturb the peace of Karachi.”

Mr Hussain spoke to MQM leaders at the party headquarters in Karachi, and advised them against issuing provocative statements.

Prime Minster Gilani while speaking to Mr. Altaf Hussain said, “President Asif Ali Zardari has reprimanded Agha Siraj Durrani and Zulfiqar Ali Mirza in front of me. We all want to go along together, but you two are destroying my reconciliatory policy. I have no doubt in my mind that we will be partners in future also and we don’t want to waste our strength by opposing the MQM.”

Prime Minster Gilani also spoke to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah over the phone who told him that a meeting had been convened on Thursday to discuss the breakdown of law and order in Karachi.

The president told Dr Mirza that the MQM’s cooperation was necessary to save the PPP government both in Sindh and at the Centre. It is also reported that the president angrily asked Dr Mirza not to spoil his efforts for reconciliation.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah met the Sindh governor immediately. Ishrat-Ul-Ebad and Qaim Ali Shah expressed their determination to strengthen the reconciliation process in Sindh. It was pledged in the meeting that all the coalition partners in the province would continue their efforts for the development of the province.

The Sindh governor and the chief minister, while taking serious notice of the recent killings in Karachi, ordered action against terrorists without any discrimination.

Ibrahim Sajid Malick (ISM): What were you doing in Geneva?

Wajid Shamsul Hasan (WSH):  I was officially assigned by the Pakistan Foreign Office to accompany NAB Prosecutor General Dr Danishwar Malik to Geneva. Dr Danishwar Malik was dispatched from NAB Islamabad to go to Geneva to collect the cartons lying with the Swiss lawyers.

ISM: What documents did you pick up from the attorney and why?

WSH:  It was the NAB Prosecutor General who received the closed cartons in my presence and that of Mr. Aftab Khokher, Deputy Permanent Representative at the Pakistan’s Geneva Mission. Since the boxes were closed I do not know the nature of things inside the boxes.

ISM: Why did you not respond to Geo stringer?

WSH: I was intercepted by two hoodlum looking guys in a Geneva street. They did not identify themselves as such and I was not obliged to respond to thug-looking strangers.

ISM: Is it your intent to destroy these documents? If not, can they be used against President Zardari? Are you willing to make them available to Pakistani judicial system?

WSH:  Boxes sent in sealed diplomatic bags from Geneva by the Pakistan’s Permanent Representative’s office are in the safe custody of Pakistan High Commission in London. These sealed diplomatic bags containing the boxes were inspected by the NAB Prosecutor General Dr. Danishwar Malik on his arrival in London from Geneva. There was no intent and there is no question of either tampering with them or destroying them. They will be shipped as and when NAB makes arrangements. As regards their

ISM: NAB Chairmain Naveed Ahsan has asked that you send the Swiss court record of cases against President Zardari as soon as possible through diplomatic bag and special courier. Will you comply?

WSH: Yes. Those boxes lying in the Pakistan Embassy in London are NAB’s property. I have requested the NAB authorities to assign Dr Danishwar Malik who brought them here, to come over to London, collect them after inspection and conform if these were subjected to any tampering or foul play as was alleged by a section of Pakistani media. I have requested that either NAB Prosecutor General Dr Danishwar Malik or any person authorized by NAB is sent to London as a special courier to inspect those boxes. Pakistan High Commission will make arrangements accordingly for their shipment in the same sealed diplomatic bags they were sent to London from Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan’s Permanent mission in Geneva.

ISM: Did you benefit from NRO? If not, why is your name in the list of NRO beneficiaries?

WSH: I did not benefit from NRO. It was clarified by the Minister of State for Law Mr. Afzal Sindhu, that in his press conference while announcing the list of NRO beneficiaries my name was mentioned inadvertently as a mistaken identity since a name similar to mine was in the list. My position was repeatedly clarified in the media.

However, I regret that despite clarifications a particular group in the media continues to mention my name as a beneficiary although its channel Geo was the first to highlight Law Minister’s clarification. Obviously this could mean there is a sinister method behind this madness. And, the conspiracy to destabilize the democratic government is gaining strength.

ISM: Do you know a gentleman name Naseer Malik in Geneva? Why was he so interested in embarrassing you?

WSH:  Most certainly not.

ISM: Why do you think ISI’s Joint Counterintelligence Bureau rep who works within your premises provided your travel information to Geo’s stringer?

WSH: I do not think that any one working in my Mission was involved in ‘leaking’ the information of my travel. Any way my visit was not clandestine or mysterious as everything was on record.

ISM: Why were you framed? Who gains from it?

WSH:  I feel that I have been made a victim of a scandalous campaign by Bhutto-haters with the sole objective of targeting President Zardari. By hitting me they think they weaken Mr. Zardari.

ISM: Why do you think Pakistanis who support democracy are muzzled?

WSH: It is a game of lethal perceptions let loose in a section of the media with an agenda of their own to destabilize and derail democracy.  Since they could not manage an electoral defeat to keep PPP out of power, they now want democracy to be murdered judicially. This is amply reflected in their comments that whatever the decision of the Supreme Court, the recent ‘disclosures’ by the media shall have to be taken notice of. I am confident that Pakistan’s judiciary has come of age through toughest trial; it won’t play to the media gallery and shall act on merit. President Zardari has been a victim of political vendetta for more than ten years. The pudding of vendetta has been tasted by the Chief Justice himself who was made a similar victim of reference of fabricated charges by President Musharraf. Had there been no change in government General Musharraf would have made him rot in detention. He was brutally maligned by that section of the media who dance to the tunes played by their masters who had supported Musharraf in his action against the Chief Justice.

Pakistan’s real rulers- the men in khakhi uniforms with stars on their shoulders and all type of fancy color combo badges on their chest, have decided to muzzle the nation again. Because of the direct orders from their American masters this time around they are being subtle about this sudden change.

Instead of removing the elected President Asif Ali Zardari in the middle of the night, they have clipped his wings in broad day light. The Pakistani President practically has no power left. His office is just symbolic; his sway is meaningless.

After the Kerry-Lugar Bill fiasco, the Pakistani envoy in Washington DC, Hussain Haqqani, was ridiculed and sidelined. As a representative of President Asif Ali Zardari he, like the president, has lost influence.

I have been critical of Ambassador Haqqani as well.  I had questioned how he could reconcile the intellectual Haqqani who has written one of the most credible books on Pakistan’s recent history, “Between Mosque and Military”, a detailed expose on Pakistan’s military mafia and how they have used Mullahs and mosques; and, the Ambassador Haqqani who must represent Pakistan’s civilian government along with that same army.  My fears that you can’t reconcile darkness and light, truth and lies, monsters and victims, proved true.

The second victim of the ISI onslaught was Pakistan’s envoy in London, Wajid Shamsul Hassan.

Many TV journalists including yours truly were made aware that something big was about to happen in Geneva. They were told by army types working in embassies around Europe and the US that their all expense paid trip to Geneva will be a career changing story.

Army and ISI representatives in London, Geneva, Washington DC, and Bern were very actively cajoling credible TV journalists to visit Geneva for an ‘on the spot coverage,’ without explaining what it was for.  When no professional journalist agreed, they brought an unknown stringer for Jang from the Italian city of Carpi on an all expense paid trip to Geneva. Jawaid Kanwal- the stringer had never done a TV news package and the Geo team in Karachi assembled, edited and produced the entire segment with the b-roll that he had sent.

The gentleman who was the liaison in Europe is a known mid level ISI representative in Geneva who is also an office bearer of PML-N, Naseer Malik (owns and operates a local liquor store). He called TV correspondents several times to persuade them to come over with a camera person. Naseer Malik knew exactly what time Wajid Shamsul Hassan will arrive; he knew what type of car he will be using; he knew the license plate of the car.

The stringer, Jawaid Kanwal, who claims to have a PhD in photography from University of Lahore ( I checked again and no one offers a PhD in photography in Pakistan), walked away famous and wealthier. He simply fell pray to a campaign launched by ISI’s Joint Counterintelligence Bureau. This group of spies is responsible for the surveillance of Pakistani diplomats abroad.

I am not sure if Wajid Shamsul Hasan is guilty of any crime or not; I feel jury is still out. If he has breached law and if the story is accurate than I hope he will resign and face the legal consequences. But I condemn the way he was framed.

In Washington DC and London, diplomatic missions provide an ideal cover and ISI centers are located on the embassy premises. These are the ones that we know of.

But outside the premises of these embassies, ISI operatives often find good cover working closely with the Pakistani community as businessmen. Naseer Malik is a great example. Beside him several very suspicious characters present themselves as journalist because this garb provides freedom of movement. No wonder during press conferences in Geneva whenever Pakistan’s army rule and human rights issues are questioned Naseer Malik is always there in the first row- to disrupt and derail the conversation.

Pakistan’s Mission to the United Nations in Geneva under the leadership of Zameer Akram was front and center in framing Wajid Shamsul Hassan. Zameer Akram is brother of the infamous Munir Akram – former Pakistan diplomat to the United Nations accused of assaulting a mistress in his New York apartment.

Sources in Intelligence Bureau (civilian intelligence organization of Pakistan) admit that they were blindsided by ISI’s  “Operation Kill Democracy,” but now they have sufficient evidence as to how the media was used to embarrass an envoy and Pakistan’s democratically elected president.

In his many speeches throughout the U.S. former President Pervez Musharraf has been vociferously defending the army and the ISI arguing that they do what all national security apparti do in every country. If that is the case, they at least do so under the guise and sanction of a democratically elected government.  In fact, during Musharraf’s Presidency Pakistan was often ridiculed and maligned for its lack of democratic institutions, frequently characterized as a banana republic; a charge that Musharraf was completely ineffective in responding to.  

If Pakistan is to redeem itself in the world and defend its sovereignty from a position of power and credibility it can only do so through democratic institutions. Those who actively seek to undermine those institutions are the real threat to our national security. Indeed, Pakistan’s fragile democracy is still being held hostage by the Army. Hopefully Pakistani people will rise to the occasion, and push the men in boots back to the barracks.  We are now approaching a new era of world governance and without a viable democracy Pakistan will not even have a seat at the table.