The Army Option-Editorial By TheNews

              Since violence re-erupted in Karachi last Wednesday, countless citizens have died, law-enforcement officials have been ambushed and overpowered, and the citizens’ trust in the government has taken a massive hit. There have been resounding calls for the army to step in. Almost all main business and trade associations and eminent religious scholars from Karachi have demanded army deployment. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Awami National Party have also made similar demands. The PPP and the PML-N have been least enthusiastic about involving the military, which may reflect their fear that once the army is engaged, it could extend its mandate and area of operation. For the PPP-led government, inviting the army in would amount to hammering the last nail into the coffin of its claim that it is able to govern. At a time when the government’s credibility is miserably dented, this could be seen as the beginning of the end for the elected government itself.
However, as politically controversial as the army option is, it would not be an unconstitutional move, as has been pointed out by senior lawyer and PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan. Indeed, under Article 245, on the directions of the federal government, the armed forces are bound to “act in aid of civil power when called upon to do so.” However, Supreme Court Bar Association President Asma Jahangir has said the law and order situation in the city can be controlled if police and Rangers are wholeheartedly backed and has warned that if the army were called in, the jurisdiction of courts would be compromised and the fundamental rights of citizens would be lost. The demand for army deployment in Karachi is unquestionably a contentious one. But the unfortunate truth is that the ruling political parties are not treating the problem – which could be best solved politically – with the requisite amount of attention and sincerity. In the face of the dire apathy of political forces, is it any wonder that many people think the military is the only institution that can save the day? If the army option ultimately becomes inevitable, its limits and contours must be very tightly defined and it should only be used in the form of a swift operation to seize weapons and a surgical pursuit of the myriad mafias and gangs that are holding the city hostage.