DG Rangers Sindh Major General Muhammad Saeed. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI: Refuting Mustafa Kamal’s claims that MQM-P had been formed at the behest of Rangers, Director-General of Rangers Sindh Major-General Mohammed Saeed said on Monday night: “There would have been no case against leaders and activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) if it was formed inside the Rangers Headquarters. This is a wrong perception.”
He was expressing his opinion in a television interview.
DG Rangers Mohammad Saeed said that Rangers have been deployed in Karachi for controlling the law and order situation and current operations were being conducted with the help of intelligence agencies.
He acknowledged that leaders of various political parties were in contact with Rangers on the issue of their arrested workers.
After securing a policing role in the Karachi Operation, the Rangers’ command is in constant contact with leaders of all political parties, the DG Rangers said.
Kamal ‘spills the beans’ in scathing rejoinder to Farooq Sattar
“We meet with leaders of all political parties,” Maj-Gen Saeed said.
Dismissing reports regarding helping chart out a deal, he said that whether MQM-P and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) joined hands or maintained separate entities, the element of violence should not return.
According to him, he would not go as far as identifying who actually caused the deal to collapse, but when “it comes to the role of policing, we will hold talks with leaders of all political parties”.
Responding on Mustafa Kamal’s claim that 70 missing activists had been freed, Maj-Gen Saeed said that at least 1,048 persons had so far been freed in such cases.
He also compared the number of people killed in violence in Karachi with people martyred in incidents of terrorism.
He said that peace had been restored in Karachi on the back of the Karachi Operation, which was initiated in consultation with all political parties.
In the end, he appealed to the general public to lend support to security agencies for maintaining peace in the city.
Although he did not specifically respond to PSP leader Mustafa Kamal’s claims that the establishment acted as a mediator to form the now defunct alliance between PSP and MQM, he said: “MQM and PSP leaders had been negotiating for the past eight months. We have nothing to do with it. Whatever they do – form an alliance or keep apart – we need peace in the city.”
Responding to a question about the attack on a media house after Altaf Hussain’s August 22 anti-Pakistan remarks, DG Rangers said: “We have arrested all suspects involved in this attack. “
He, however, said: “The general elections are approaching and the law and order situation can take a downturn like in the past. Maintaining law and order in Karachi is our top priority,” he said, adding that Rangers could not work without the support of military and the civil government.
“Foreign elements are involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan,” he said.
Referring to reports of extortion money collected in Karachi, he said: “In the past, as much as Rs100 million used to be collected in extortion in Karachi, but the situation is now contained,” he said.
Citing the example of Lyari, where criminal gangs had strong roots, he said: “Today, all gangs have been busted. There is no gang war,” he claimed and said, “We have now reshaped Lyari as one of the busiest areas of the country.”
When asked about suspects involved in the attack on Khawaja Izharul Hasan, he said that investigation was still in progress.
This is the first time the DG Rangers responded after Farooq Sattar and Mustafa Kamal’s allegations and counter allegations.
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