10 November 2000
General
Parvez Musharraf
Chief Executive of Pakistan
Chief of the Army Staff
Chief Executive Secretariat
Islamabad
Pakistan
Dear General Parvez Musharraf
Assalam-o-alaikum
I would like to draw your attention towards the grave situation prevailing in Karachi. After the bomb blast incident at the office of the Daily Newspaper Nawai-e-Waqt, the Karachi Police under the pretext of arresting those involved in the bomb blast, is indiscriminately arresting innocent citizens of Karachi and the workers of MQM. By threatening to falsely implicate these innocent detainees in the bomb blast case, millions of rupees are being extorted as bribe from their families.
The Karachi Police and other law enforcement agencies have always displayed the same tyrannical and oppressive attitude towards the citizens of Karachi and other urban centres of Sindh. The people of Karachi and other urban centres of Sindh have time and again peacefully reacted and protested against this attitude.
A few days ago, after the bomb blast at the office of Daily Nawai-e-Waqt, the Karachi Police under the pretext of apprehending those involved in this incident, without any warrants, has arrested thousands of innocent citizens and MQM workers throughout the city, which is still continuing. These innocent citizens are being stocked in the police lockups. They are being tortured and threatened that they will be implicated in the bomb blast case to extort huge amount of money as bribe from their families. The poor and helpless families are compelled to sell their belongings, jewellery, their businesses and even acquire money on interest to give as bribe to the policemen to get their children released. In such manner, within a few days, the personnel and officials of Karachi Police have extorted millions of rupees in bribes resulting in the economic ruin of several families.
When the people of Karachi and other urban centres of Sindh peacefully protest against this oppressive behaviour of the personnel and officials of Police and other law enforcement agencies, particularly since the commencement of the Army Operation against the Mohajirs on 19 June 1992, it is termed as “terrorism”, by the Establishment. However, till today, not a single personnel or the official of Police and law enforcement agencies responsible for the extrajudicial killings of thousands of innocent Mohajirs and oppression upon the innocent Mohajirs has been apprehended and punished according to the law. In such situation, what the oppressed citizens should do if they are not allowed to protest peacefully?
Day and again these bomb blasts occur in other parts of the country, particularly in Punjab. In the past few days, such bomb blasts incidents also occurred in several cities of Punjab including Rawalpindi. However, under the guise of apprehending those responsible for these bomb blasts, the citizens of Punjab were neither indiscriminately arrested nor stocked up in the police lockups or millions of rupees were extorted from their families by threatening to involve them in false and fabricated cases. In such situation, the people of Karachi and other urban centres of Sindh have all the right to ask that are Karachi and other urban centres of Sindh not part of Pakistan? Are these part of an enemy country? Are these occupied or conquered territories? Are the officials and personnel of Police and other law enforcement agencies the conquerors of these areas and have the right to loot and plunder the belongings of the citizens?
Can national unity and the ‘one-nation concept’ develop through discrimination, prejudice, unlawfulness and oppression? Will such continued oppression develop positive or negative emotion amongst the subjugated citizens? It is your obligation and the duty of the persons at the helm of affairs to think because the height of oppression is that if we even raise our voice against this open suppression and discrimination then the Establishment and their agents declare us as ‘anti-State’, ‘traitors’ and the ‘Indian agents’. Will the act of oppression and discrimination against the people of Karachi and other urban centres of Sindh prove beneficial or harmful for Pakistan? Up till when the process of oppression, loot and plunder against them will continue against more than thirty million Mohajirs will be treated as occupied nation? For how long will the Mohajirs continue to observe patience on the appeal of Mr Altaf Hussain? What sentiments will develop amongst a segment of the nation when the State institutions are bent upon pushing them against the wall?
The people of Karachi and other urban centres of Sindh are facing the Army Operation for the past nine years. On the one hand inflation is rising, whereas on the other hand, there is water and electricity problem despite the fact that for past few years the military officers are supervising all the departments including the KESC, KMC and Water Board. However, the problems of water and electricity are intensifying with every passing day. Under such circumstances, the Police personnel are further oppressing the subjugated and victimised citizens. Thousands of innocent people have been arrested and billions of rupees have been extorted from their families as bribes.
As the Chief Executive of the country, it is your responsibility to provide security and safety to the lives and possession of every citizen. Therefore, I appeal to you to please put an end to the oppression of Police upon the innocent citizens of Karachi, the arrest of innocent citizens must be stopped forthwith, all the innocent citizens arrested so far must be immediately released and the police officials and personnel responsible of illegal activities and extorting money as bribe from innocent citizens must be arrested and severely punished.
I hope that you will take necessary and effective steps to end the oppression and for the welfare of the people.
Wassalam
Dr Imran Farooq
Convenor, Central Coordination Committee
Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM)
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