Amidst calls for the military's deployment in Karachi to end a wave of ethnic and political violence there, Pakistan's powerful army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has said his force is ready to restore peace in the financial hub if asked to do so by the government.
Kayani expressed grave concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the southern port city, but said any decision to call in the army to restore peace would have to be taken by the civilian government.
It is the army's duty to serve the nation, he said.
The army is prepared to assist the civilian administration in Karachi if it is deemed necessary, Kayani told reporters on the sidelines of a function at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi yesterday.
He parried a question on whether the government had contacted him for calling out the army in Karachi. The army chief contended that the situation in Karachi can be brought under control by effectively using the paramilitary Pakistan Rangers and police.
It would be wrong to undermine the ability of the Pakistan Rangers, he said. Karachi is the 'jugular vein of the country's economy and it will be a great injustice if the deteriorating law and order situation there is allowed to continue for a longer period', Kayani said.
Asked whether the army intended to intervene in Karachi by itself, Kayani said this was 'impossible' as the federal and provincial governments were 'hectically engaged' on the issue. He said it was 'very regrettable' that innocent people were being killed in Karachi.