While responding the
severe criticism of PTI`s Imran Khan’s23rd November`s sit-inadresson
the PML-N government, PML-N`s spokesman Pervez Rasheed denied all the
allegations. He clarified that Pakistan had been providing the logistic support
to the NATO which contained only the non-military items including food supplies.
This is not only the
first time, that government inPakistan has been making the similar
clarifications about the NATO supply for Afghanistan. The question is, when
only the food-stuff is supplied to Afghanistan in the NATO containers via
Pakistan, then how did the scandal of 19,000 NATO missing containers allegedly
full of ammunition and weapons was documented?
In fact, the term
19,000 NATO`s containers filled with sophisticated weapons became the focus
point of the Pakistani media when the former Interior Minister Sindh
ZulfiqarMirza accused MQM`s then Federal Minister of Ports and Shipping of
being behind this. However, MQM only denied it, but also logically asked if so
many containers had really been missing, how the owners, i.e., US or NATO would
have been so silent.
Truly speaking, it was
a very sensitive matter, the Pakistan customs, federal government and all the
investigating agencies are silent on it. They neither endorsed ZulfiqarMirza`s
allegation nor denied it. Then, after a complete silence for about two years,
this matter once again got highlighted in the media when the DG Rangers Sindh
submitted his report to the Supreme Court in respect to the case about
lawlessness in Karachi.
In his report, the
Director General of the Sindh Rangers Maj-Gen RizwanAkhtar claimed that around
19,000 shipping containers containing weapons and vehicles had gone missing
during the tenure of the former minister for ports and shipping. Presenting his
report, the DG Rangers also informed the SC that the weapons being used in Karachi
violence are of the same stolen containers. It was also told to the SC that 9mm
pistols were mainly used in murder crimes in the city. But, the question is, do
the NATO forces fight the war in Afghanistan with 9mm Pistols?
After the DG Rangers` reports, the Pakistani media-persons
as well as the analysts almost believed in it and once again started accusing
MQM especially its former federal minister Babar Khan Ghouri. None of them tried
to think if it was really possible to steal 20 and 40 feet containers in a big
city like Karachi. Frankly speaking, it seems to be very illogical that
thefull of weapons thousands of NATO containers are missing and the US as well
as the government of Pakistan just kept their mouths close.
Practically speaking,
if one or two containers run on the roads of Karachi either to the industrial
areas or out of the city, almost all the people on the roads become aware of
their presence as their heavy carriers slow down or cause traffic jam.
Consequently, how is it possible that containers kept roaming on the roads,
arrived at their destination in residential areas of the most populous city and
got unloaded, but all the agencies remained in complete darkness about their
location?
Further, if any
containers were stolen (or were by force taken somewhere else other than their
destination___Afghanistan), were their drivers and cleaners recovered or they
are still missing like the containers? If they are still missing, then why did
their family members not register any FIRs` to the relevant Police stations?
Considering the missing persons` case of Baluchistan, had more than 19,000 people
really gone missing with the containers, can we imagine what sort of noise
could have emerged not only in the city, but from all over the country on it?
In the other case, if the drivers of the allegedly stolen containers eventually
came back, then did all agencies investigate them to trace where they unloaded
the containers?
Similarly, did the
Pakistani law-enforcement agencies also submit the copies of the FIRs` as
evidence to the Supreme Court registered by the shipping companies about losing
their thousands of containers? More importantly, when the first NATO container
was lost, why did the Custom Authorities as well as the investigating agencies
not probe the matter when they were already aware that it was containing the
prohibited weapons? Why did the figure of missing containers reached to 19,000? Is it not a big question mark on the performance
even on their trustworthiness?
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