Sindh says PM Khan lacks authority to launch crackdown against criminals in the province

Policemen wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) stand at a security check point on a street in Karachi on August 2, 2021. (AFP)

• The spokesperson of the Sindh administration says law and order is a provincial subject and federal agencies can only take action on the province’s request
• Analysts believe PM Khan’s decision to deal with lawlessness in Sindh has political undertones

KARACHI: The Sindh administration on Friday questioned the legality of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision to direct federal agencies to launch a crackdown against street criminals and dacoits in the province, saying law and order was not a federal subject under the 1973 constitution of Pakistan.
“The Ministry of Interior, Federal Investigation Agency or Islamabad Police cannot set up an outpost in Sukkur to launch a campaign against miscreants,” Murtaza Wahab, a spokesperson of the provincial administration, told Arab News. “This is legally untenable until the provincial administration requisitions the support of federal authorities.”
The Pakistani prime minister on Wednesday decided to address the problem of lawlessness and deal with street crime while chairing a meeting that focused on security issues of Sindh.
Citing anonymous sources at the PM House, the country’s Dawn newspaper said the center had decided to bear down on criminal elements involved in extortion, street crime and armed robberies by using Pakistan Rangers, Anti-Narcotics Force, Federal Investigation Agency and Pakistan Customs.
Local media reported these agencies would conduct operations in different parts of the province and seek the assistance of the Sindh administration, if required.
A senior member of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, Haleem Adil Sheikh, told Arab News the federal government had taken the decision due to the growing incidents of lawlessness in the province.
“Sindh is a part of Pakistan, making it the responsibility of the country’s government to protect the lives and property of its residents,” Sheikh, a prominent opposition politician in the province, said. “The federal agencies will work within their ambit and not exceed their legal limits.”
Wahab noted, however, it was unconstitutional for the federal government to launch a crackdown in a province on its own.
Mazhar Abbas, a Karachi-based analyst, agreed with him, saying the central government could extend its support to a provincial administration but not take unilateral action.
“On his previous Karachi visit, [interior minister] Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed told me he was against such steps by the federal government,” he told Arab News while speculating there were political motives behind the proposed operation.
Dr. Abdul Majeed Chandio, a university professor in Khairpur, who comes from a region which is said to have a huge presence of dacoits, maintained people would welcome a crackdown against criminal elements, though he recognized that the constitution did not allow federal authorities to launch such an operation.
“Police have completely failed as they are under the influence of feudal lords who support these dacoits,” he said.
Chandio added the government should try to address the problems of people living in the volatile regions of the province, pointing out that many of them were living in abysmal poverty and lacked access to education, healthcare, water and agriculture.