Rangers not to act without CM’s consent

Karachi corps commander meets Qaim Ali Shah to resolve differences

KARACHI: The Karachi corps commander has assured the Sindh government that Rangers will not take action against any government official, department or conduct targeted operations in rural Sindh without the chief minister’s permission.

Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar called on Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah on Friday apparently to iron out differences over the extension of Rangers’ powers which expired on July 19. The provincial government has yet to announce an extension.



Official sources told The Express Tribune that the meeting at the CM House lasted for over 90 minutes and talks were held in a congenial atmosphere. Finance Minister Murad Ali Shah, Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal and Chief Minister’s Adviser on Law Murtaza Wahab also joined the meeting in the latter half.

A handout issued by the CM House said Qaim assured Lt Gen Naveed that his government was committed to eradicating terrorism-related activities such as targeted killing, extortion and kidnapping for ransom.

He appreciated the law enforcement agencies, particularly police and Rangers, for restoring peace in Karachi and also thanked the Karachi corps commander for taking personal interest in the National Action Plan against terrorism.

The CM and corps commander also discussed the issue of the extension of the Rangers’ powers in Sindh. Qaim said the matter would be resolved shortly as he was already consulting the issue with his party leadership.

The issue has been exacerbated with the recent controversy over the arrest of Asad Kharal — a purported friend of the home minister — who has been accused of misappropriation of government funds and having links with criminals.



Insiders told The Express Tribune that Qaim said the Larkana incident took place due to a misunderstanding because the Rangers who tried to detain Asad were in plainclothes and people reacted believing it was a kidnapping case. “No one informed the district deputy commissioner or the area police about action against Asad Kharal otherwise the police may have helped them nab the suspect,” the CM was quoted as saying.

The sources said that the corps commander accepted the CM’s version and said both sides should shun their petty differences to find a way out to resolve the issue for the sake of the ongoing operations.

After the high-level meeting, Qaim met PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and informed him about the decisions taken. Later on, the PPP chairman flew to Dubai for a meeting with his father and party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

According to sources in the CM House, the government might issue a notification to deploy Rangers and give special powers to the force that would later be ratified by the assembly. The policing powers, however, will be given to Rangers only in Karachi.

Comments sought

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued notices to the federal and provincial authorities to file their comments on the controversy over not extending the policing powers of Rangers.

A division bench headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro asked the deputy attorney general and Sindh advocate-general to file their comments by August 9.

The petitioner had challenged the PPP’s resolution in the Sindh Assembly in 2015 that had curtailed the Rangers’ powers when they last ended on December 5, 2015.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2016.