No let-up in Karachi operation, says Rangers DG

Maj Gen Bilal Akbar dismisses rumours of compromise

KARACHI:

The head of the paramilitary Rangers has dispelled the impression that the Karachi operation is slowing down, saying his force is on a mission to eliminate terrorism and crime from the megalopolis.

“People say the number of operations has decreased, but I can tell you our operations depend on the number of our enemies,” Maj Gen Bilal Akbar, the director general of Sindh Rangers, said on Sunday. “The more the number of enemies, the more the number of actions,” he added while speaking at the closing ceremony of the Third Hub Car Rally held in Nooriabad near Karachi.





Maj Gen Akbar said the paramilitary force had been facing all kinds of criticism. “People criticise the Rangers claiming the operation is going too fast,” he lamented. “They also accuse the Rangers of having a ‘setting [understanding]’ while complaining the operation is getting slow.”

“Our setting is only with our mission. Our setting is only with the nation. Our setting is only with our motherland,” he asserted.

He added the force would continue working in Karachi according to its mission of eradicating criminals. “We have been able to track down many of them. We want peace and harmony to return to Karachi.”

Maj Gen Akbar emphasised the need for providing a secure environment for healthy activities that had stopped because of the volatile security situation in Karachi. “We need to counter the uncertainty created by certain people through organised crime in the past 20 to 25 years,” he said.

He added Pakistan had become a country of sports champions in the 1990s but the fluid security situation pushed the country back. “We are working hard to carry on our operations against terrorists and decrease the number of our enemies.”



He said the Rangers were proud to be supporting the car rally too that would help promote peace through sports. He also proposed holding the next race in Tharparkar to support the families in the drought-stricken district. “By holding such events, we can improve the image of our country,” he said. “Our priority is our nation and our country.”

Later, the Rangers chief gave away trophies to the race winners in different categories, including former Sindh minister Nadir Magsi, who  won the men’s A-category and Tushna Patel, who  emerged victorious in the women’s jeep race.

Nadir said the Hub-Nooriabad rally is the fastest track race in Pakistan stretched over 32 kilometres. “It has a shorter track compared to Jhal Magsi or Cholistan, but it is fast,” he said. “We covered it in 17 minutes in the first run. One amazing thing is you can drive here as fast as you can, and it can get a little dangerous, but it’s fun.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 1^st,  2016.