At 11 am on Thursday, the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, sent ripples across the province when they took nationalist leader Bashir Khan Qureshi into custody.
According to a Rangers’ spokesperson, Sindh Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz’s Qureshi was travelling through Gulshan-e-Hadeed with his guards who were openly displaying their firearms. The Rangers flagged down the vehicle, searched it and found that Qureshi and his men had four sub-machine guns and two pistols.
When the JSQM leader failed to produce an arms licence, he was taken into custody. Later on Thursday night, the Rangers raided Qureshi’s house and found automatic weapons.
The Rangers denied reports that they apprehended Qureshi from the house of a serving police officer. However, the spokesperson neither confirmed nor denied reports that DSP Ghulam Subhani’s son was in the car with Qureshi, and only said that everyone in the vehicle, including the guards, was taken away for questioning.
Outraged party workers and nationalist parties have announced a three-day, province-wide strike and have given the Rangers till 10 pm on Thursday to release their leader. The Rangers barely batted an eyelid. “We will carry out investigations and hand them over to the police if they are charged,” said the spokesperson. He refused to comment on whether they had determined that Bashir and his guards’ weapons were licensed.
The Sindh government announced that it will conduct an inquiry.
Sindh reacts
Protests erupted across Sindh as people blocked main roads and railway tracks, suspending traffic to and from the upper part of the country.
As the news spread through Karachi, some people blocked main University Road near Safoora Chowrangi. Shots were fired in the air to spread panic and forced people in Sindhi-dominated areas such as Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Malir, Keamari, Bin Qasim and Gadap towns to rush home.
University of Sindh and Mehran University students blocked the National and Super highways and brought traffic to a grinding stop for hours as they pelted cars with stones. JSQM workers staged sit-ins on the main railway tracks near Kotri, Rohri and Hyderabad stations.
Possible ulterior motives
There have been reports that Qureshi sympathises with land grabbers and the licence was just a ruse to get him into an interrogation room. “This is part of an ongoing operation carried out by the government against land grabbers, target killers and drug peddlers,” said a senior police official on the condition of anonymity.
Allegations from the Rangers and counter-arguments from the nationalist parties continued to surface. While the Rangers stuck to their claims that the men did not show licences for non-prohibited bore weapons at the time of arrest, JSQM leaders argue that he was apprehended close to his house in Gulshan-e-Hadeed and was set up.
“All the licences were with them,” blustered JSQM general secretary Asif Baladi. “It is a government trick to mount pressure on nationalist party leaders.”
Baladi revealed that this was not the first time that something like this has happened. He claimed that, once before, paramilitary personnel raided Qureshi’s house in Gulshan-e-Hadeed and arrested his son in order to pressure party leaders. “There was no routine snap checking. The personnel were waiting for Bashir Qureshi’s arrival and arrested him.” he alleged.
The general secretary was also quick to defend his party, he said that not a single party worker or leader has been involved in land grabbing or target killing. “You can use the suo motu notice against target killings as an example. Not a single worker of our party has been blamed.”
Government not in the loop
The Sindh government, meanwhile, was apparently in the dark about the whole episode. “I had no idea about his arrest so please give us some time to investigate the matter,” said Home Minister Manzoor Wassan. “I have known Qureshi since 1988, and the police and law enforcement agencies cannot arrest anyone with a legal weapon.”
When asked exactly how far the Rangers’ authority spreads and whether the arrest was lawful, he said that the Rangers are allowed to arrest anyone caught in possession of weapons without an arms licence. “I will look into it by conducting an independent inquiry into the matter.”
Meanwhile, the Awami Tehreek, Sindh Tarraqi Passand Party, Sindh United Front, Jeay Sindh Mahaz and others have condemned the arrest and have endorsed the JSQM strike-call.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 16th, 2011.
COMMENTS (36)
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@Salman Orangiwala: You are pathetic and fascist. You are trying to say that Karachi is not now for Sindhi people once that you people have arrived. Your comment shows your mentality that Karachi is now "your" city. It is not. It is everyone's city and everyone(including Sindhi people) has a right to come here and earn his livelihood. Karachi does not only have geographical "alignment" with Sindh you fool. It is part of Sindh historically and culturally. This shows your extreme lack of knowledge. Who were the people who toiled day and night who converted the Kolachi to present day Karachi? Were they not Sindhis? Off course after migration people came to this city because it was already prosperous and had enormous opportunities. Who made it prosperous? were they not Sindhis? Migrated people off course contributed to this city and still do but that does not mean among them there are not Sindhis. Sindhis also live in Karachi as they lived before partition. You are so ignorant. Go read something and then talk, do not just babble here.
@Salman Orangiwala: Brother, let’s make the facts straight 1) The case HAS not been proved yet that Mr.Qureshi was taking any illegal arms (2) There is NO FIR registered against JSQM leader for violence and crime (3) During current SC suo moto case on Karachi,there is NO evidence of any sort of violent activitiest of any Sindhi nationalist party in Karachi (4)JSQM and other nationalist parties went to courts to expose militant wings of big parties (5) JSQM’s strike has not created any law & order situation by killing any innocent people unlike Karachi’s big party which can call on strike on any day with full show of violence. So take away your narrow vision based on prejudice against liberal and progressive nationalist forces.Justice should be done but pushing liberal and progressive nationalist forces will achieve nothing but only bad name for country and state.
@Iftikhar-ur-Rehman: He wasn't carrying illegal weapons. They are licensed arms(proof of which has been provided to the court). I feel sorry for this country where killers and terrosists are let lose but who have done nothing are arrested. Everyone has the right to agree or disagree with JSQM's nationalists views but that should not blind you just because he is Sindhi nationalists you are endorsing this highly biased move. I request you to see logic. In recent report of agencies to CJ no nationalist party has been accused of terrorist activities. But the parties who have been blamed(MQM, PPP, ANP etc) of the current situation of Karachi are let loose. What is your opinion about that? Why their leaders aren't arrested?
@AYAZ BUKHARI: What proofs have you given for your warped logic of self arrest? Your logic makes no sense.
@aftab: Because they were under pressure not to act. See news reports of today indicating the weapons siezed.
i condemn this........... i condemn this..............i condemn this
Well Done!!!! They should be handed the Law & Order & carry out operationsd against all in Karachi & Sind.
The nationalists parties should show their worth by helping flood victims. They are empty cans it seems. Empty cans make a lot of noise!
JSQM chairman went to courts through his lawyer before CJ to expose terrorists of three big parties and now here it goes,the revenge of Govt to teach him lesson because he took a step to expose the terrorist of Karachi by reaching to courts.Such tactics will only fire back because there is no single terrorist case against JSQM but what an irony those who are directly involved in all violence, extortion and crime in Karachi are in powers and trying to silence any one who questions their violent politics.
By arresting progressive and liberal nationalist leader, a negative signal has been sent,raising more questions about legitimacy of Karachi operation.
Jsqm has a little role in karachi. It can not and is not involved in target killing and other large crimes than why operation against jsqm... Why there is no operation being done in 90, mardan house , and bilawal house whch are real stakeholders of city and all the orders of target killing, extortion, and other crimes are operated from offices and centers of mqm, anp,ppp,jamait islami, suni tehreek, mqm haqiqi, sipah sahaba and other parties... Have you ever learned name of any person from jsqm involved in crimes like extortion, target killing... This is total biasness... And reason behind is that role of nationalist parties in sindh including karachi is increasing so govt and others are afraid of that...
I'm not taking any political party's side, but i'd like to inform all of you of the things i know. According to information given to me by a friend who has a huge bakery/shop in gulshan e iqbal, the members of JSQM are involved in extortion and other illegal activities in that area including gulistan e jauhar and its surrounding areas.
As for gulshan e hadeed, i have relatives there, who also work for the Pakistan Steel Mills, who have witnessed the change in the environment of that particular area. After the change of government in 2008, the security situation of the area has declined considerably, i dont mean to offend anyone but the witnesses blame the sindhi speaking people for the problems rising over there, along with the JSQM members.
he has self arrested himself, because of decline of nationalists in sindh after the zulfiqar mirza, it has to happened because to raise the nationalist passion among the sindhi people. i am also a sindhi, this is my personal interpretation and perception. if any one disagree with that, he can have the complete right to comment against me, assuring the proofs.
This seems an effort to divert people's attention from real issues in rural Sindh and deep internal rift between big parties about the capital of Sindh Karachi.As per reports submitted before SC on suo moto case,No nationalist and progressive forces were labeled as involved in any terrorist activity. But Instead of cracking down the real culprits belonging to those involved parties who keep militant wings, the liberal and Progressive nationalist forces are being targeted.At this time of chaos and crisis,it is completely insane of the govt to open a new Pandora box in Sindh against nationalist forces.
What a justice.The terrorist and Mafia wings are said to be working under the patronage of three big political parties of Sindh while tolerant and secular nationalists are being arrested.Instead of arresting the real culprits,the dirty game has started to push the nationalists and progressive forces to the wall.JSQM has NEVER been involved in any violent political affairs.Even they were not reported to be involved in any case before CJ in current suo moto case.
What did security forces achieved by pushing liberal and progressive nationalists forces of Balochistan,they lost legitimate control over Balochistan and if they repeat the same mistake with peaceful,liberal and progressive nationalist forces of Sindh,The result wont be quite different from that of Balochistan.Wish Sanity prevail,instead of attacking peaceful forces,Govt should handle terrorists with iron hands.
@Siddh: because it is a FACT.
its not a justice
@grinz09: why????
Well done, Rangers keep doing the greatest work! Arrest all killers.
And this will surely restore peace in Karachi?
@Nouman Younas: what is that reality?? please share with us.....we don't know....only 3-5% of Karachites actually visit that area.....
Why they arent searching 9 zero and ther other areas of mqm ? They are searching at all areas where pashtoon and sindhi people are living peacefully any ways they will leave him.
which sort of reality ............Nouman Younas
Why him???