[Dawn] A ban on armed wings of political parties, deweaponisation and political tolerance are essential to restore peace to the city, said speakers on the opening day of a two-day peace conference on Saturday.Representatives of political parties, civil society, lawyers, labour unions and minority communities attending the conference held at the Arts Council also called for implementation of the apex court order, which was handed down in the suo motu
...a legal term, from the Latin. Roughly translated it means
I saw what you did, you bastard...
case related to frequent assassinations in the city, in letter and spirit.
The event was organised by the Sindh High Court, Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
and Malir bar associations.
Anis Haroon of the Aurat Foundation said that absence of war did not mean peace. But peace could be established through social justice and protecting the rights of all segments of society, she said."The level of tolerance against violence is growing in society, which is one of the main factors behind violent incidents," she observed, adding that violence and injustice must not be tolerated at any cost.
She was of the opinion that the law and order situation of the city was a political issue and recommended that political parties should ban their armed wings for the sake of peace.
Lawmaker Iqbal Qadiri of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement
...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead...
said that some elements had weakened state institutions for their vested interests. It was an international conspiracy to destroy the peace of Karachi, he said.
He appealed to the judiciary to convict the culprits instead of going into technicalities as its key to keep peace.
Bashir Jan of the Awami National Party suggested that free and fair election in accordance with the orders of the apex court, indiscriminate operation against criminals, deweaponisation and amendments to the anti-terror law for witness protection were necessary to pave the way for establishing an abiding peace.
MQM's Muqeem Alam said local government and local policing systems besides acceptance of public mandate could improve law and order.
Zia Abbas of the National People's Party said there was a need to develop political tolerance in order to keep peace and improve governance.
He added that armed wings of political parties must be banned. He also believed that foreign elements were involved in the breakdown of law and order in Karachi and Quetta.
Mehfooz Yar Khan of the Awami Mohammedan League said that ethnic and sectarian elements were behind the violence. He called for deweaponisation of the city. He also said that strict action should be taken against those involved in pre-poll rigging and land encroachment.