Yes, it is an army competent in terms of being an army - but when we talk about Karachi, the problem is centered around law enforcement and what is practically counter-insurgency, not just governance per se. The civilian authorities are too weak as of right now. They will need to be 'cleaned' of corruption, which will be a slow process, and trained properly before they can do anything.
@Hyperion could have made his point a lot better if he didn't include some nonsense about the Army's ''intellect'', as if any of the thieves that plague our civilian authorities have any better intellect. This isn't about intellect, it's solely about legitimacy in the eyes of the public and politicians, 'political correctness'.
If we were to use only civilian authorities, we'd get nowhere since they are fraught with corruption and are heavily influenced by corrupt political elements. And they don't have any credibility in the eyes of the public or politicians. If, instead of the Rangers, it was the FIA challenging MQM right now, the MQM would have a field day bribing/infiltrating or maligning it to the point of it being completely unable to function. The same rhetoric about 'war on the streets' would apply, only it'd be more effective.
It will take a long time to develop the civilian authorities' abilities, integrity and credibility. Until then, the military will have to supportthe FIA and NACTA in multiple ways, provided that they are actually given the funding they require to function, and that the officials actually try to work properly in the first place.