LONDON/ISLAMABAD – Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has termed the report of the inquiry carried out by Pakistan Army into the events leading up to and following the arrest of his son-in-law retired Capt Mohammad Safdar in Karachi as a “cover-up”, saying the report was “rejected”.
No other leader from the Pakistan Muslim League-N has commented on the party’s official stance on the report.
Inquiry report on Karachi incident is a cover-up scapegoating juniors & shielding the real culprits. Report “Rejected”.
— Nawaz Sharif (@NawazSharifMNS) November 10, 2020
On the other hand, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari welcomed the Court of Inquiry’s decision to remove the Rangers and ISI officials involved in the incident.
“To take action against those found guilty of an act is the democratic way,” he said addressing a public gathering in Gilgit-Baltistan, where he is campaigning for upcoming polls. “Such actions enhance the prestige of institutions. I hope we will take this initiative forward and join hands to work together,” he said.
Bilawal appreciated army chief General Bajwa for taking notice of the incident and ordering an inquiry into it.
Pakistan Army removes Rangers, ISI officers involved in ‘Karachi incident’
Earlier today, the military’s media wing said that the Court of Inquiry formed on the orders of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa recommended the removal of Pakistan Rangers and Inter-Services Intelligence (IS) officials involved in the ‘Karachi incident’ for creating “an unwarranted situation that led to misunderstanding between two state institutions”.
The inquiry had been ordered by the army chief after the Sindh police chief and several senior officers of the provincial police force had sought extended leave from duty saying they had been left demoralised due to the circumstances surrounding the arrest of PML-N leader Capt (r) Muhammad Safdar on October 19.
The statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations on Tuesday notified that the inquiry “pertaining to the issue of redress of Inspector General of Police Sindh’s grievances” had been completed and that it had recommended the removal of all security agencies’ officers found involved in the events of October 18 and 19, 2020.
“The Court of Inquiry has established that on the night of October 18/19, officers from Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) and the ISI sector Headquarters Karachi were considerably seized with the fallout of the desecration of Mazar-e-Quaid,” the statement read.
“They [the security officers] were under increasing public pressure to ensure prompt action as per the law. Assessing the response of police authorities against this developing yet volatile situation to be slow and wanting, in a charged environment, the concerned ISI/Rangers officers decided to act, rather over-zealously,” the statement added.
“They were indeed experienced enough to have acted more prudently and could have avoided creating an unwarranted situation that led to misunderstanding between the two state institutions,” it said.
The ISPR statement said that “it has been decided to remove the concerned officers from their current assignments for further departmental proceedings and disposal at [the Army’s] General Headquarters (GHQ).”
Reacting to the ISPR statement, Information Minister Shibli Faraz appreciated the army chief for initiating the inquiry and implementing the recommendations, saying the federal government “had nothing to do with it.”
