It will be in the interest of the Sindh government to improve the performance of the police to show some results,
KARACHI: Your editorial “Rangers extension”(July 10) should serve as a lesson to the Sindh government that harmony and peace lie in extending cooperation to the Rangers in eliminating terrorism and financial corruption, which is destabilising Karachi. Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah’s initial reluctance in extending the Rangers’ policing powers in the city was unwise indeed. Under the National Action Plan agreed upon by all parties, the menace of terrorism has to be buried once and for all. Army Chief General Raheel Sharif has categorically stated that the operation in Karachi would continue until the completion of this task.
The Sindh government became perturbed over the raid on the Sindh Building Control Authority, followed by the arrests of a few corrupt officers. The Rangers, police, and the FIA are helping the Sindh government in fighting crime in the province and have the support of the majority of the people. Repeatedly citing the 18th Amendment should not come in the way of dealing with issues at the national level by the federal government, for which consensus has already been reached. Constitutional conundrums should be avoided as the province cannot override the centre’s priorities at the cost of the wellbeing of the country. It is true that the Rangers’ presence is not a permanent solution, but the fact remains that they were never allowed and authorised to carry out such operations in the past. The work that the Rangers have done so far has saved many valuable lives, including those of members of the Sindh police, which have been working side by side with the Rangers. The nexus of the major political parties in Sindh is nothing new, but the ground realities have changed, and under special circumstances, special measures need to be taken. It will be in the interest of the Sindh government to improve the performance of the police to show some results, as well as putting an end to the patronising of corruption. The corrupt must be brought to justice.
It is now very clear that some bad eggs are present in all political parties. It would be more appropriate if they are made to surrender so that the Rangers can finish their job quickly and go back to the barracks. Any premature withdrawal of Rangers from Karachi will plunge the city into an even greater mess and lawlessness. The sufferers will be the ordinary people.
Mukhtar Ahmed
Published in The Express Tribune, July 12th, 2015.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
