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Rangers claim they can stop target killings in one month
Force’s top officials tell parliamentary panel they just need funds and a free hand.
Rangers claim that lack of resources has caused a hindrance for them to successfully control target killings in Karachi. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMBAD:
As the authorities struggle to contain the frequent outbreaks of target killings in Karachi, paramilitary forces have made a strong-worded offer to the government: Give us one new helicopter, 800 bulletproof jackets and a free hand in the city, and we will eliminate the phenomenon within one month.
The Pakistan Rangers Sindh is said to have been long denied by the government the required resources to combat the alarming violence in Karachi –– which has meant that the paramilitary force’s success in controlling target killings in Karachi has been minimal.
The force is facing financial troubles and requires close to half a billion rupees and a new helicopter to replace its old one, which was grounded last month.
Official documents available with The Express Tribune reveal that this offer was made by the brass of the Pakistan Rangers during a closed-door briefing given to a parliamentary body which had visited Karachi. The meeting was said to have been called to discuss the issue of target killing, and deputy director-general (DDG) of the Rangers briefed the parliamentary panel on the overall law and order situation.
“If the government of Sindh gives us free hand, we can stop the situation of targeted killing within one month,” a determined DDG Rangers was said to have claimed in the meeting, adding that the force was facing serious shortage of required resources and equipment.
The parliamentary committee has now brought this offer into the notice of interior ministry which is the controlling authority at the federal level.
“For us, this is not an impossible mission to pull off,” the parliamentarians were told.
According to sources, the government had long ignored requests by the paramilitary force for equipment and funding to combat target killings as well as the several mafias operating in the city. In addition, law-enforcers have also complained about political expediencies playing havoc with efforts to control the city’s law and order situation.
Now, the sources said, the Rangers authorities had now formally told the government that it could eliminate targeted killings if it were given what it needs – most importantly a ‘free hand’.
However, the sources said, there was little hope that interior ministry would give a free hand to the force keeping political interests in view. One source, who was present in the meeting, said that not a single member of the parliamentary body seemed to be too enthusiastic about the Rangers’ offer.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2011.
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Reader Comments (42)
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This is not a rocket science. With an army action disarm all the citizens. When there would be no weapons there would be few murderers. I am not talking for or against any political party. Simply disarm them all. However, the ruling mafia of Karachi would not allow that, hence the killing continues.
The solution would not come from Karachi itself. The whole Pakistanis have to be united to control this cancer. I am sure many people with vested intersts would make excuses and find faults with this honest and fair suggestion but this is the only way out. Good luck.Recommend
A detailed report into the people behind the target killings if finally out,a lot of different parties are involved:
http://www.weeklypulse.org/details.aspx?contentID=451&storylist=2
makes for some shocking reading .Recommend
these guys should remember what was done to over a hundred of the police officers who took on the terrorists in the last operation in the 90′s in karachi.
all the policemen who caught & brought to justice the terrorists have been brutally targetted & killed themselves.
This started during musharraf’s tenure & over a hundred policemen who took part in that operation have been silenced forever.Recommend
rangers can’t do anything as the moment they start to take strict action against the target killers the media will go mad against them.
Our media is overwhelmingly dominated & controlled by karachi based media groups which are populated by people from the migrant community which ensures that a certain karachi based party gets massive positive media coverage no matter what & that all other people especially punajbis are maligned & criticised as much as possible.Recommend
Man, what are you waiting for? * Almost a thousand people being targeted every year in Karachi ain’t just good enough to give Rangers a Free hand. *Or you are looking for the figure to get a little higher which would bolsters your confidence to allow Rangers some power. I have seen them like nothing-doing-at-all in the city. I mean a city where crime is so much rampant, where crooks hold more modern ammo then the security forces, do u really expect rangers to bring peace holding batons? A budget of PKR 500.00M, if can save lives of innocent citizens, then it’s worth it.Recommend
Yeah that’s right- Rangers will bring peace in Karachi so that they can go back to their barracks in Punjab and stop enjoying all the perks at the expense of Karachi’s citizens.
Rangers first came to Karachi in mid to late 80s and since then have ensured that neither Sindh police is brought up to a level to take over nor peace prevails- both of these facts only add up to their presence in Karachi and they keep getting daily allowances and vanish soon as gun fight breaks. Funny thing is that in last two plus decades Rangers have run water services to marriage lawns to photo copiers in Karachi university and they have illegally occupied numerous buildings but peace hasn’t prevailed- Even MQM who got worse treatment from Rangers in ’90s rally for them now. What a shame…..
As long as Rangers are involved, there will be NO PEACE in Karachi!!!!Recommend
Man, **what are you waiting for? ** Almost a thousand people being targeted every year in Karachi ain’t just good enough to give Rangers a Free hand. Or you are looking for the figure to get a little higher which would bolsters your confidence to allow Rangers some power. I have seen them like nothing-doing-at-all in the city. I mean a city where crime is so much rampant, where crooks hold more modern ammo then the security forces, do u really expect rangers to bring peace holding batons? A budget of PKR 500.00M, if can save lives of innocent citizens, then it’s worth it.Recommend
it will start all over again when its time for the rangers to go back, so that their stay is extended. They have built clubs, schools, houses, hospitals, etc. and will never go back and keep eating up the tax payers money. Why isnt the police being strengthened as a long term solution and rangers sent back to the borders, where they belong !Recommend
hahahahahaha….good jokeRecommend
@Gailani
Your laughter sounds like you are Yousaf Raza Gailani… No worry whatsoever.Recommend
now or never! lets get it on and stop this menance once & for all! no political association should be tolerated rising against the law & should be dealth with “iron fist”. lives of citizens & their economic stability are the most important aspect if this city and the country is to get out of this economic & terrorist rut!
m.s
karachiRecommend
This is as if the Rangers are target killing people themselves :)Recommend
who want it to STOP anyway?Recommend
I request the Rangers to do whatever they want to do, being a Muslims some responsibilities fall on your shoulders and you will be asked about this one day. So, at least kill at sight the Dogs who are doing this, otherwise it is also pre-planned that you are not being given the proper resources to contain this menace.Recommend
No one could do anything to control the target killings, because it is pre-planned to create havoc in Karachi. Try to understand.Recommend
How can the Govt. be interested in this offer if the killers happen to its own political workers.Recommend
@lovepakistan:
Right, the rangers are responsible and the Rs. 500m is the amount they want to stop it :)Recommend
I believe they were given authority to control this menace & did nothing.Now after their authorization is over they are claiming they can do it????Funny!!!!!!!!!!!Recommend
@ riaz anjum,
Killing the workers of other party is equivalent to killing terrorists? Non of the party is innocent neither PPP was in 90′s.
@ farooq imran,
This is what, which has divided us with the highest intensity. You still want to play punjabi, mahajir, balochi etc etc.. Remember that, it was migrant community which as contributed the most for the creation of Pakistan and achieving Independence. It was they who lost their everything just for the sake of Independence, and you stayed as same as you were before. Be thankful to Allah.Recommend
@Iftikhar-ur-Rehman:
The reason they didnt do anything is that as soon as they would start rounding these people up then then people would start branding them the Punjabi FS abusing the Mohajirs and Balochs and Sindhis.
I remember people protesting when Rehman Dacoit was killed and calling him son of Balochistan…Recommend
IT is very surprising that when Dogs kill their targets, Rangers or Police are not present there. How is it possible that the Killers always get chance to target the victims whenever and wherever they want?Recommend
Rangers should be given free hand to rid the country’s financial capital of this mafia cancer. regardless of who these rascals belong to, they must be crushed with power. For once and for all to keep the innocent citizens secure from their political agendas and benefits.Recommend
Why are there no Indian comments for this story?Recommend
Everyone knows where the orders are coming from, who the target killers are and who is supporting them!! The evidence is staggering after the arrest of Ajmal Pahari, who has been held responsible for high-profile murder cases like those of Major Kaleem, DSP Shamim, Azeem Ahmad Tariq, Khalid-Bin-Waleed, Kamal Mustafa, Nishat Malik, KESC chairman Shahid Hamid, Inspector Bahadur Ali, Zuheer Akram Nadeem, Munawar Suhrawardy, Abdullah Murad, Badar Iqbal, Hakeem Muhammad Saeed, Editor of ‘Takbeer’ Syed Salahuddin, PML-N’s Tariq Khan, JI’s Mirza Luqman Beig, Aslam Mujahid, Jamal Tahir, GS Shabab-e-Milli Nazeer Sajid, Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai, PPPP’s Iqbal Mama, Islam Bihari, Shams Bihari, and the recent murder of Journalist Wali Baber.
Karachi police can capture or kill all these target killers even without the Rangers but the big question is, who will build cases against the people who are giving the orders and the lists to these target killers and bring them to justice??Recommend
Smart useless statement made by the Rangers to look good. The proverbial ‘back door’ escape hatch in the statement is ….and a free hand in the city. What a load of rubbish.Recommend
PML(N) should support the government and assure them that they will be with government, if government gave free hand to Rangers, than hopefully target killers will be finished.
Government is weak and cannot survive without PML(N) support. Government knows, who is behind the target killers.Recommend
All it needs is ” political will ” & there will be peace…why there was no such killings etc; 8 years ago…because it was MQM govt…?? PPP & ANP wants to dominate & assert their presence in Karachi….for Gods sake….is it possible…?? hence , MQM has to assert their dominance….?? it is ” turf war “…& innocent people are the victims…if the govt & its political coalition parties are serious about this situation…they can put a ” STOP” to this madness…?? the govt & everybody realises the importance of this city from revenue point of view,yet they do not seem serious….this is strange…?? & in the process our poor country is sufferring & nobody cares….?? if this issue is not tackled on a war-footing…karachi will bleed…only we can pray to Allah swt to save from such situation & sanity to prevail.Recommend
What few overzealous and overly unscrupulous individuals don’t understand is that authorizing the Rangers to do it is adding to the grievances of a majority (Urdu speaking community) there, not to mention the significant minority (Pashtun) that will occasionally protest against the alleged discrimination against them. This, in reality, is fraught with danger, and I still cannot understand how can monumental incompetence of state to ensure the safety of its citizens can be compensated by force alone?Recommend
Well at least someone in your army is volunteering to fight.Recommend
Yes give them a free hand, and we’ll have another Balochistan in the making. We should realise that our army is not worth doing anything but murders.Recommend
@Sumair:
Ironically, the migrant community has also been heavily implicated in the violence that is engulfing the city. Who do we thank for that?
There is no community/ethnic group that has its hands free of innocent blood, but to suggest that only a single community has contributed to ‘developing’ Pakistan, or has been the sole force behind Independence is puerile, throughly biased and ultimately wrong. Perhaps you should return to the history books.Recommend
Fabricated media reports against MQM exposed. Weekly Pulse need to answer the questions raised in this report
http://sirfkarachi.blogspot.com/2011/04/fabricated-jit-and-media-reports.htmlRecommend
Majority of the Rangers are from Punjab least bothered in the mass-killings and much bothered about their sepcial perks . How many of you know the Rangers are being paid extra allowances for being stationed in Karachi ?
Move within Krachi , where these overweight and obese no-local Rangers willl be seen
standing “alert” on the main road while alleys two blocks away , target kiilling , mobile snatching are in progress .
The lucrative water tanker contract is manned by the Rangers earning millions every week ,just ask any water tanker owner in Karachi .
The Rangers are a burden to Karachi , siphoning-off the Karachis resources for nothing .
A local force equivalent to the Rangers should be formed consisting of the locals , sending the current Non local rangers off to their barracks .Recommend
@Someone , went through the history books guts .Now its you and like minded’s turn to do the same .
If there hadnt been the contribution of the migrants , there wouldnt have been any Pakistan .
Dont force upon us to ponder like the Bengali’s and go try to sooth and appease the Balochs in Balochistan if it isnt too late ..Recommend
@ Someone
If you like irony so much, hows this? There was no violence in Karachi until a certain General exported a fanatic horde drawn from the biggest province and from the border province now called KPK and Afghanistan to Karachi to wreak havoc and they are still doing that arent they? There was no ethnic violence until this same horde attacked poor from the migrant community in Orangi, burning their homes and killing hundreds. If you want to be racist, remember we are human too…Recommend
“However, the sources said, there was little hope that interior ministry would give a free hand to the force keeping political interests in view. ”
In case you don’t know what this means:
Since the arming of miscreants during BB’s death, and the induction of PPP in federal government, Karachi has become a revenue stream for PPP politicians through extortions and kidnapping-for-ransoms. The criminals carrying out these extortions are associated with PPP and protected by the Sindh Police (which is the police force of Karachi).
In retaliation, MQM members / gang members are target killing the PPP-associated miscreants.
That is why there was no target killing before the induction of the Zardari government.
If you don’t believe me, then think of why Karachi’s business community has been repeatedly complaining the government about the ‘deteriorating law and order situation’; why did this just start to take place? Why is it that MQM is repeatedly complaining to the government regarding these extortions of businessmen? The business community has to go to MQM to voice its concerns, so they can relay it to the government; why do you think that is? Maybe you’ve read – on this very news outlet – that the business community has been complaining about extortion from gangs who are ‘politically connected’; if they were connected to the MQM, then why would the KCCI and MQM both be jointly complaining to the government? Why is it that when one year or so ago, when a businessmen was kidnapped in Karachi after coming out of the airport, and then it was soon discovered that he was a friend of Zardari’s — the police was able to ‘recover’ him the very next day? Did they know the kidnappers or something? Why the police was never able to do that with all the people I know who have been kidnapped in Karachi? Why when people are kidnapped from their clinics and places of work, then later go to the closest (Sindh) Police station — they discover that that station was the same place where they had been held captive??
Karachi was meant to deteriorate by design; it’s people are considered ‘rivals’ by the PPP. Therefore the MQM has resorted to target killings.
If Rangers were given a free hand, they would then be able to get rid of the PPP-Sindh Police-connected criminals, to which MQM target killings are a reaction. Then not only target killings, but all the law-and-order situation would be fixed in Karachi. ‘Within one month’ – seems like an accurate time frame to me.
But like the article says:
“However, the sources said, there was little hope that interior ministry would give a free hand to the force keeping political interests in view. ”
… What political interests???Recommend
Making Karachi a weapon free zone is the only solution. Anybody who has a better idea to stop this killing should come up with. If there are excuses and sentiments against the rangers, then the army be invited to do a fair and balanced operation. If army operation is not acceptable then those people are with the killers and not patriotic citizens of Pakistan.
Exucses and more excuses for not doing the right thing!Recommend
@ Mirza jee .!!!
What made you so sure that amry is acceptable to all ?
Maybe to you but, pardon me ,not to all . Correct the myopic vision .Recommend
@Salman Orangiwala: I don’t know what Rangers you are talking about but the local criminals in Karachi can only attack unarmed civilians like the cowards they are. The sight of a Pakistani Ranger makes these cowards run and hide. I would prefer the Pakistani Rangers and Army any day over arming locals who have no concept of military training. There is a reason why the British resepcted the fighting abilities of the Pakistani peoples. Don’t fall prey to the Indian propaganda which aims to demean the fighting ability of the Pakistani military man, including the Ranger. Even an obese Ranger is physically better and braver than an Indian. If you were in a battle, I am sure you would feel better knowing that a Pakistani Ranger were beside you. Give them a month and they will clean up Karachi of all criminals and anti state elements.Recommend
@Salman Orangiwala:
@HS:
Well, this is classic finger-pointing isn’t it? I blame the MQM/PPP, you blame the ANP/JI etc, and we go on blaming the myriad of political parties and ethnicities involved in this fiasco. I am certainly not being ‘racist’, nor am I rejecting the contribution of the migrant community in the creation of Pakistan.
The sad, painful truth is that practically all the major political parties operating in Karachi, whether it is the PPP, MQM, ANP et al are involved in this violence. Everyone has blood on their hands, and violence has become part of the political fabric in Pakistan.
Now the Rangers are claiming that they will stop these killings in one month, as if violence has ever worked in stemming violence – this happened in the 90s, and history is repeating itself two decades on.Recommend
@XX:
So back to the 90s where the PPP and the MQM locked horns over Karachi and lay waste to hundreds of lives. These tit-for-tat target killings must end – the question over who started this mess is like the parable of the chicken and the egg. Karachi is a warzone where certain ethnic groups live in ghettos, fighting over turfs and property, drugs and weapons. It is sickening as to how this has spiralled out of control.
Karachi could have been so much more had these atrocities been stopped, had gun crime been tackled, and had successive governments focussed on improving conditions for people rather than expand their personal business and political interests.Recommend
A good docter or healer searches for the causes rather then curing the symptoms!
The rangers can only combat the henchmen but do not have the competance to eradicate the root causes. Violence versus violence is no solution!Recommend