Most Pakistanis wonder why the all-weather and evergreen Dr Ishrat ul Ebad is so indispensable that he has remained firmly entrenched in the Governors House since 2002. Many governments changed with many Presidents and Prime Ministers changing guard, but the soft spoken and mild mannered Ishrat ul Ebad proved to be the greatest survivor.
What is the mystery or secret behind Ebad’s clinging to this post? Is Dr Ebad the establishment’s man or does he enjoy the backing of a foreign power? It is not only unusual but even defies the principles of good governance and policy of change on such sensitive positions.
If it is true that Dr Ishrat ul Ebad is reportedly a British citizen then under which law was he appointed on this constitutional post being a dual national? Hats off to highly respected Ch. Sarwar who renounced his British citizenship before becoming Governor of Punjab.
Dr Ebad fell out with MQM chief Altaf Hussain and resigned on a few occasions only to make a stronger comeback. Is he waiting to take over an MQM faction in case of likely upheavals in the party in any scenario sans Altaf Hussain?
Did everlasting peace return to Karachi during Ebad’s 13 year stint as Sindh’s Governor? He has surely disappointed the nation. As a diehard member and leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Dr Ishrat ul Ebad was expected to use his moderating influence to prevail upon MQM to rid itself of the evils of militancy, violence and criminal mafia, which did not happen. Instead his palatial official residence was reportedly turned into an ‘MQM sector office’.
While General Musharraf’s era saw relative peace and large scale infrastructure development efforts in Karachi under then MQM’s mayor Mustafa Kamal, the nation has not forgotten the May 12, 2007 killings when MQM and its Governor ruled Karachi virtually unchallenged.
Around 8,000 people are estimated to have been killed in all round violence in Karachi since 2008 for which all political parties with militant wings including MQM, ANP, PPP and some religious/ banned groups are to blame. But why is it that almost every target killer who is arrested confesses to his direct or indirect links with the MQM?
How can the nation tolerate a Governor whose party is linked with the September 12, 2012 Baldia factory massacre in which over 260 innocent civilians were burnt alive? Incidentally, Dr Ishrat ul Ebad was awarded Nishan e Imtiaz by then President Asif Zardari on Dec 26, 2012 on completion of 10 years as Governor as well as for his ‘meritorious services’ for the people of Sindh.
Is the party finally over for Governor Ebad? After condemned death row convict Saulat Mirza’s sensational video leaked from Mach jail a few days ago, accusing the Governor of allegedly protecting MQM criminals in prison, there remains no moral standing for the Governor to continue in office as he lost the trust of the people.
After the federal snub during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s latest visit to Karachi where the security briefings by law enforcement agencies were shifted from the traditional venue of Governor House to PAF base Faisal, the absence of Dr Ebad from these sessions reflects a lack of confidence in the Governor. He should have got the message and stepped down immediately.
The practice of appointing a party loyalist as Governor of a province needs to be discontinued to avoid a conflict of interest. As the federation’s representative, the governor must be a neutral and well reputed personality with a clean and unblemished past who can conduct the official business of his office fairly and honestly. Unfortunately, this did not happen in the case of Sindh for which Karachi and Pakistan ended up paying a very heavy price in terms of human lives and the colossal loss to the national economy.
It appears that a discreet federal search for a new Sindh Governor is in progress with names of a few suitable candidates under consideration including retired Army generals who remained Commanders of Karachi’s 5 Corps or were DG Rangers and hence familiar with Karachi’s political and law and order dynamics. A Sindh Governor with a military background is not likely to submit to any MQM/ PPP blackmail that will auger well for Karachi’s peace. General Raheel Sharif should advise the Prime Minister so as to make the best selection.
Asif Zardari’s message of support for MQM after the Nine Zero raid came as no surprise as both PPP and MQM are partners and remained beneficiaries of Karachi’s disorder and chaos. The Rangers’ operation hurts the vested interests of both these parties in the mega city’s economy and resources.
One example of Sindh Government’s half hearted cooperation and support to the ongoing operation in Karachi is its defiance of Rangers instructions to dismantle security barriers and illegally constructed concrete walls around Bilawal House. Why should Bilawal House be exempted from such a crackdown, especially when it is no longer the official camp office, a status that it enjoyed when Asif Zardari was the President from 2008 to 2013?
The credibility of the Rangers operation against No Go security barriers in Karachi will be undermined if it fails to take impartial action against all centers of political power as well as the high and mighty. Political considerations must not override across the board enforcement of rule of law. The culture of warlordism in Karachi must not be allowed to flourish.
The law abiding citizens of Karachi complied by removing security barriers and bringing down concrete walls that blocked key approaches in their neighborhood so as to facilitate movement and work of law enforcement agencies. So if areas around Nine Zero and former President Pervez Musharraf’s residence were opened to the general public, then the already fortified Bilawal House, too, must be cleared of unlawful encroachments without fear of any political fallouts.
There is no question that the Rangers operation will lose momentum. On the contrary, it is likely to progress even more strongly and even handedly because it has the nation’s full support. Point 16 of the National Action Plan is clear: ‘Karachi operation will be taken to its logical end’.
The lines are clearly drawn with the federal government, army, Rangers, elite intelligence agencies and political parties like PTI and JI on one side and MQM- PPP coalition on the other. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may have to take difficult decisions if his friendly opponent and brother Asif Zardari keeps his hardline position.