Plot to kill PPP, MQM, ANP leaders in Karachi foiled, masterminds arrested: Malik

ISLAMABAD - A conspiracy to eliminate the MQM, PPP and ANP leaderships as well as journalists in Karachi has been foiled and the masterminds behind it have been captured, Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said.

Talking to reporters outside the Parliament House, Malik said there was neither a plan to launch an operation in Karachi nor any such action was going on in the city.

“I have always said that there will be targeted actions in Karachi based on intelligence reports,” the Dawn quoted the Interior Minister, as saying.

He, however, added that the recent actions were different in nature. In the first action, Malik said, some key people who were masterminding to turn Karachi into Lebanon were captured.

“The arrested terrorists wanted to kill the MQM, ANP and PPP leadership and journalists,” he added.

Malik said more arrests were made in other parts of the country with the help of leads provided by these suspects.

“The second action relates to the arrest of criminals who were hiding in the house of a PPP worker. The Rangers have been granted police powers, therefore, they don’t need to seek permission from the Interior Ministry all the time,” he said.

The Interior Minister also conceded that there was some confusion with Sindh Home Minister Zulfikar Mirza regarding these raids, and said that coordination between various security authorities would be improved. (ANI)