Rangers arrest three political workers for attacks on check-posts

Court grants five-day physical remand to Zaman Town police

KARACHI: Three political workers have been arrested by the Rangers for a series of attacks carried out over the past year at the paramilitary force's check-posts in different parts of the city.

According to the Rangers, the suspects had orders from their chiefs to avenge the arrests of their comrades in the ongoing Karachi operation. Their arrests were disclosed on Saturday but the press statement said they were held last month.

On April 19, Rangers acted on a tip-off and conducted raids in parts of Shah Faisal Colony No. 4 where the suspects of a militant wing had hideouts and arrested three 'hardcore' terrorists, said the Rangers statement. "They were produced before an anti-terrorism court from where they were given into Rangers custody for 90 days."

The suspects were identified as Syed Ahsan Suleman alias SP, Muhammad Obaidullah Siddiqui alias Habib Kala alias Pagal, and Asadullah Siddiqui, all of whom were affiliated with a militant wing of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) Shah Faisal Colony Unit 108. "They confessed to have been involved in attacks on Rangers check-posts during interrogation," said a spokesperson, adding that they also confessed their involvement in target killings, extortion, rioting and land grabbing.



The attacks mentioned in the statement took place this year in Nazimabad on January 29, Korangi Crossing on March 18 and in Korangi No 2.5 on March 23. Three Rangers personnel were wounded in these attacks. A Rangers spokesperson pointed out that they have yet to arrest the remaining members of this group, namely Rehan alias Kana, Zeeshan alias Tissue and Suleman alias Umeed.

History of attacks

The attacks this year were not the only attempt to target Rangers, whose moving vehicle was hit by a suicide bomber on March 20, 2015. Two Rangers men were killed and three others were wounded. Nearly a month later on April 13, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) killed in an encounter two top commanders of alQaeda in the Subcontinent (AQIS) and their three comrades in Orangi Town's Khairabad area. The police claimed then that these men were involved in the attack on the Rangers' vehicle.

Following these arrests, the city did not witness any major attack on the paramilitary force until the start of this year. After the three attacks in January and March, the CTD killed in yet another encounter two AQIS militants in Gadap Town. These men were said to be affiliates of the men killed in 2015 and were accused of carrying out the recent attacks on Rangers check-posts.

Court grants remand

Zaman Town police presented two of these suspects, Suleman and Obaidullah, before District East judicial magistrate on Saturday and managed to get five-day physical remand. Two Rangers men acted as witnesses and identified the suspects before the judge. They also assigned their roles in commissioning the offence. A Zaman Town police officer said they have only been given custody of two suspects.

Suleman was riding the motorcycle while Obaidullah had hurled explosives at the check-post in Korangi Crossing on March 18, said one witness, who identified the suspects in another case pertaining to a cracker attack at the Rangers check-post in the same vicinity on March 21. In his statement, the roles of the suspects were, however, reversed: Obaidullah rode the motorcycle and Salman hurled the bag of explosives.

MQM denies allegations

Meanwhile, the MQM denied the allegations levelled by the Rangers and insisted that it was not the party's policy to promote or get involved in violence. "The real terrorists are roaming freely and not being arrested while a state operation is being carried out against the MQM," claimed Rabita Committee member and MPA Mohammad Hussain, addressing a press conference at the Khursheed Begum Secretariat on Saturday evening.

The party leader questioned how the law enforcement agencies accused workers of being involved in crimes the same day they were arrested. The Rangers statement stated, however, that the arrests were made in April.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2016.