Pakistan’s top generals concerned at Karachi situation

Pakistan’s top military generals Monday expressed concern over law and order situation in port city of Karachi and its ramifications and implications on Pakistan's national economy. Police sources and medai report that over 300 people had been killed in Karachi only in July as the result of ethnic and political violence. Ethnic groups accuse each other of violence. Nearly 100 vehicles were also torched in different parts of Karachi over the past few weeks. The situation in Karachi has been calm over the past few days and after more security measures were taken by the government and with the deployment of additional forces. The army commanders expected that the measures recently undertaken by the Government would help redress the situation, an army statement said. The Corps Commanders’ Conference, held at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi with Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in the chair also discussed the security situation in the Country in general and Karachi in particular, it said. The participants were briefed in detail regarding ongoing law enforcement operations against the militants in the tribal regions of Kurram and Mohmand within the perspective of evolving security dynamic, the statement said. It is very rare in Pakistan when army commanders make statements on the country’s law and order situation. But the recent wave of killings in Karachi, also the commercial hub of Pakistan, has prompted the army commanders’ statement.