Mirza wants full powers for Sindh Police, Malik's detention for 15 days.

Mirza wants full powers for Sindh Police, Malik's detention for 15 days

Daily News Report

ISLAMABAD, Aug 27: Unbelievable and astonishing as it is. Senior Minister of Sindh Dr Zulfiqar Mirza has termed the recent surgical operation in Karachi as a "big drama" and claimed that nothing positive will come out of this exercise. He expressed these views before top government functionaries in Karachi and Islamabad. Mirza claimed that he can bring peace to Karachi in one month without Army and Rangers. He demanded: "I just need two things. Full powers for the Sindh Police and detention of Rehman Malik at his Islamabad residence just for 15 days because whenever I tried to take some steps against target killers in Karachi Rehman Malik sabotaged my efforts by jumping into Karachi".

According to highly-placed government sources in Islamabad Zulfiqar Mirza and Rehman Malik have termed each other "agent of the enemy". Mirza levelled serious allegations against Rehman Malik in the presence of President Zardari and Prime Minister at least on two occasions last week while Rehman Malik has chose to play it safe and has never spoken against Zulfiqar Mirza openly.
He recently shared his views with a very senior leader of MQM and claimed: "I have told you and Altaf bhai many times that Mirza is part of a big conspiracy; he works for somebody else, he does not work for the president". Rehman Malik is facing a very difficult situation these days. He is not only under fire from Zulfiqar Mirza but is no longer very close to MQM chief Altaf Hussain. He recently informed his MQM friends in Karachi: "you know Mirza always claims that I am working for you, not for PPP, and I am very sad over this whole situation because I have lost my good friend Altaf bhai in this whole process".
It is also learnt that some opponents of Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, including the governor of Sindh, recently suggested to President Asif Ali Zardari to send Mirza as ambassador to France, Singapore or UAE but the president did not agree. He is of the view that his government has already given the local bodies system of 2001 to the MQM despite opposition from within the PPP and it will be a political blunder to take any unpopular action against Dr Zulfiqar Mirza at this stage.
Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad met President Zardari on Thursday night and demanded arrest of all those responsible for the killing of MQM workers in the last few months. The president reportedly told him that he should evolve a strategy to arrest the culprits with the help of Rangers and Rehman Malik. President Zardari wanted a meeting between Zulfiqar Mirza and Dr Ishratul Ibad but Mirza was taken ill on Thursday night and was not available. The president wanted the MQM to rejoin the government before Eid-ul-Fitr but Ishratul Ibad remained noncommittal. It is interesting that Zulfiqar Mirza met President Zardari late Thursday night and informed him about his "sickness".
Differences between Dr Mirza and Rehman Malik have created lot of complications not only for the president but also for all those internal and external players who are desperate for a deal between the PPP and MQM. The MQM has further delayed its decision to join the PPP-led government at the Centre and in Sindh. Both PPP and MQM leaders are under intense pressure from their own workers and supporters to say goodbye to the so-called politics of reconciliation. MQM leaders are furious that the PPP workers did not allow the Rangers and police to enter Lyari for a search operation two days ago. One source in the Rangers claimed that some local PPP leaders in Lyari were in contact with Dr Zulfiqar Mirza and on his instructions they staged a demonstration against the search operation.
When this scribe spoke to some PPP leaders in Lyari they never confirmed this allegation. This scribe also inquired from Rehman Malik about his differences with Dr Zulfiqar Mirza but he avoided making any comments.