What about police security?

By Huma Yusuf

A RELATIVE peace prevails in Karachi these days, with sporadic (rather than incessant) incidents of targeted killings peppering the headlines. But those familiar with the city’s dynamics know that the situation could change overnight.
The political, ethnic, sectarian and extremist elements that made 2011 the second-bloodiest year in the city’s history continue to thrive, and any number of triggers could reignite clashes: upcoming elections, a land-grab in an ethnically volatile area, disagreements over local governance, a terrorist attack. Since political negotiations rather than systemic changes precipitated the drop in violence, continuing news of police officials being targeted bodes poorly for Karachi’s future security.
Last week, this paper reported that Sub-Inspector Asghar Ali Tarar was shot dead in Orangi Town. In the 1990s, he was actively involved in Operation Clean-up; more recently, he had been posted at the anti-terrorist Crime Investigation Department (CID) and the Special Investigation Unit (SIU). As such, it is unclear which group is behind his killing.
According to the Sindh police, over 150 policemen who participated in the Karachi operation have been killed over the past two decades. Police have also been targeted in revenge attacks staged by militant and sectarian groups. Most obviously, in a video claiming responsibility for the November 2010 attack against the CID office, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan identified a hit list of senior police officials — in September last year, the private residence of one named target, SSP Aslam Khan, was attacked by a suicide bomber.
Revenge attacks against police officials are a familiar phenomenon across the globe. Widespread unrest in British cities last summer was described as ‘anti-police’ as many rioters claimed that they were seeking retribution for police brutality and abuse of power on the basis of race. According to a Guardian/ London School of Economics study, most rioters spoke of ‘payback’ and described the disturbances as a long-awaited opportunity to settle scores with police officials who are perceived to behave unjustly. In a city as violent as Karachi, however, the targeting of police officials by multiple actors threatens to derail attempts to restore stability.
Policemen who believe that their involvement in an operation or investigation against militant or criminal outfits could lead to their being targeted will be increasingly reluctant to perform their duties. Given how politicised the workings of the police force already is, a heightened sense of fear among serving officers could lead to a complete paralysis of effective police activity. Already, the trend in Karachi is to rely on the paramilitary Rangers when violence flares — they are more anonymous, frequently rotated, and equipped to conduct surgical strikes in neighbourhoods.
But a shift to a consistent strategy of surgical strikes as opposed to continuous policing is not possible in Karachi. With its volatile mix of ethno-political, sectarian, militant and criminal groups that organise at the hyper-local level, the city’s security can only be managed by an extensive police force that remains immersed in communities. The required level of involvement and exposure means that police officials will always be vulnerable to targeted attacks.
The persistence of revenge attacks also prevents the police from being a neutral actor in the context of urban violence. There have been innumerable instances in which police units have behaved as vigilantes, prioritising score-settling with certain groups over across-the-board law enforcement. This already prevalent trend could become endemic, leading to even more extrajudicial actions and stripping law-enforcing agencies of any remaining credibility.
The fact that all the good ideas to stem Karachi violence are focused on improved policing makes the targeting of policemen even more problematic. There is a move, for example, to create a police central command computer system to collate everything from CCTV footage to criminal records in order to improve evidence gathering and intelligence sharing.
Recent measures to computerise FIRs and daily station diaries are a good first step towards creating an accessible, centralised database of criminal activity. Future plans to digitise criminal records, mug shots and fingerprints are also in the works.
However, these technological advancements are of little use if the police are too scared of revenge attacks to make efficient use of the resources to bring charges against criminals and militants.
The repeated calls for the depoliticisation of the police force are also moot in the face of police targeting. Police officials who feel vulnerable are far more likely to seek the protection of political parties and participate in the city’s unique system of violence, rather than serve to counter it.
Similarly, the Sindh government’s push since November last year for a witness protection programme that aims to improve the conviction rate of criminals and terrorists by 50 per cent will prove less effective if witnesses perceive that those charged with protecting them are unable to protect themselves. (Incidentally, the programme has not yet been legislated as it remains under review by the provincial law department. Such security-related legislation should be passed as promptly as possible in light of recent violence.)
Ultimately, the only way to prevent the targeting of police officials is to emphasise the mechanisms that will improve overall security for ordinary citizens as well. Police officials who work on sensitive cases should be trained on how to remain vigilant while off duty.
They should also receive adequate compensation to shift residences and take other measures to increase anonymity. Most importantly, the perpetrators of targeted attacks against police officials must be routinely apprehended, charged, tried and convicted in courts of law. The possibility of political involvement in target killings of security officials must also be investigated and exposed. After all, without a confident and independent police force, the city has little hope of remaining secure.


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The sixth Galle Literary Festival By Irfan Husain

By Irfan Husain

HOW would most people react if three of their daughters and a niece were killed by shells fired without warning by an invading power? Speaking for myself, I would be shattered initially, but soon my grief would harden into rage and a desire for vengeance.But this is not the path Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish took when
tragedy struck his family on 16 January, 2009. As a Palestinian doctor, he practised in an Israeli hospital where he was deeply respected. He had nothing to do with the resistance, but in an instant, his family was decimated.


Speaking about his experience at the Galle Literary Festival, the Palestinian doctor (as he is now known as) moved the large, standing-room only audience to repeated rounds of applause. Author of the international bestseller I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor’s Journey, Dr Iselin’s spoke movingly about his incredible resolve to overcome his grief and loss.
He made the point that we should not allow ourselves to become victims twice. The initial loss should not allow hatred to consume us, thus victimizing us repeatedly. This is easier said than to put into practice, and the Gaza doctor’s prescription is not for everybody.
According to him, a burning desire to succeed helps to overcome hatred. He gave the example of his surviving daughter who lost an eye and two fingers of her right hand in the Israeli attack. She learned to write with her left hand and went on to obtain high marks at school and university. He himself grew up in a refugee camp, but overcame his many disadvantages to become a successful doctor. But not everybody is endowed with this level of ambition and intelligence.
Although a discussion about reconciliation and forgiveness is very relevant in Sri Lanka, given its recently ended civil war, there were few references to the conflict in the sessions I attended. In the talk on Fundamentalisms in Fact and Fiction where I shared the stage with Gita Hariharan, the brilliant Indian short-story writer, I was asked by a member of the audience about the ‘hidden hand’ that had provoked the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. I replied that instead of sheltering behind conspiracy theories, we needed to look at our own policies and attitudes.
In another session in which I participated together with Susan Minot, an American writer, and Romesh Gunesekra, the famous Sri Lankan novelist, we talked about ‘writing political realities in fact and fiction’. I made the point that while before 9/11, the mantra used to be ‘one man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter’, now there is a purely black-and-white
approach in journalism. I read a passage from my book Fatal Faultlines in which I have described how children in Pakistan are used as suicide bombers to illustrate why it’s now impossible to draw a sympathetic portrait of a terrorist.
Now in its sixth year, the Galle Literary Festival has grown into a popular international event with both authors and audiences. Virtually all sessions have been packed, and there are interesting social and musical gatherings in the evenings. Of course, the shopkeepers, hotel owners and tuk-tuk drivers are delighted, with everybody overcharging foreigners.
This year, there are more tourists here than ever before. Virtually all accommodation is booked solid. Since the war ended almost three years ago, more and more foreigners have been flocking to this island paradise. Galle Fort itself, a picturesque 16th century town from the Dutch era, is thronged with people from around the world. Designated as a world heritage site by Unesco, the tiny town has some 400 houses out of which almost a third have been bought by mostly European expatriates. The majority of locals are conservative Muslims who are uneasy about the presence of so many foreigners, but as the value of their property has shot up as a result, they don’t make too much of a fuss. As usual, money trumps morality.
One session I sadly missed as I was speaking at another venue at the same time was a talk given by Richard Dawkins, the famous writer who has tirelessly advocated Darwin’s evolutionary theory. When I met him later that evening, he was pleased to be informed that his God Delusion was selling well in Pakistan.
The historian Simon Sebag Montefiore spoke about his recent book Jerusalem: the biography. Explaining his family’s long connection with the city, he spoke of its complexity with its myths, its mosques, churches and temples, and its mixed-up past. He informed the audience of something called ‘the Jerusalem Syndrome’ which often causes madness in visitors.

Some of them imagine themselves to be Jesus Christ, and other Biblical figures. So prevalent is this condition that a philanthropist has built a hospital to treat its victims.
Tom Stoppard is my favourite contemporary playwright. His Arcadia and the Utopia trilogy of plays are extraordinary explorations of abstract ideas, and their impact on people and events. For nearly half a century, he has been the dominant figure in English theatre. Small wonder, then, that his talk on his life and work was completely sold out, with people standing to hear him. A genial figure now in his late seventies, he spoke articulately about his work. Often rambling in response to questions, his easy use of language was nevertheless a treat.

Shashi Tharoor, the Indian writer and politician, was another popular draw at the festival. When I walked into the hall where he was speaking, I found it full, and standing at the back for an hour was not an attractive prospect. So I made my way to the Halle de Galle where I heard Katherine Frank speaking about her biography of Daniel Defoe, the 18th century author of the ever-popular Robinson Crusoe. She told us about how the author had plagiarised heavily from the real-life story of Robert Knox, a captain with the East India Company who was stranded in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) for years, and wrote about his experience when he returned to England.
All in all, a rewarding experience, made more so by the presence of a large number of friends who are here too.

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White House Dispatch: Bush Cabinet official to visit Oval Office

Washington (CNN) - President Obama has been known to occasionally criticize the Bush administration, but he's rolling out the red carpet for a member of the former President's Cabinet.

On Friday, Mr. Obama is scheduled to sit down in the Oval Office with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

A White House official said the President and Rice have a "cordial relationship." As for what's on the agenda, the official added that "they'll talk about a range of foreign policy issues" during the meeting.

The former Bush official is in town promoting her new book "Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family.

The book is about the people who shaped her life, and the journey that ultimately led her to the White House.

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9 killed in Mexico helicopter crash

Authorities are working to determine what caused a helicopter crash that killed nine people in southeastern Mexico.

The helicopter crashed Friday afternoon in the city of Las Choapas, the state-run Notimex news agency reported.

The helicopter was working with Pemex, a state-owned oil company.

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