More power for Rangers

Let’s hope that this latest drastic step is able to bring some semblance of law and normality back to the city.

Karachi is a city shrouded in fear. Criminality in all its manifestations permeates the life of all. Nobody is truly safe as anybody can be ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’ as gangs — political and criminal — fight it out on the streets. Extortion, targeted killings, kidnapping for ransom, phone snatching, land grabbing and encroachments as well as other forms of robbery or corruption pervade everybody’s lives. Parts of the city are no-go areas for law-enforcement agencies. The police are either powerless to combat or just as often complicit in the lawlessness that prevails. Calls for reform are mostly unheeded and promises to root out the criminal elements rarely followed through.

The federal government has now decided to act and the federal cabinet has approved ‘extraordinary powers’ for the paramilitary Rangers in an effort to break the endless cycle of death and criminality. The Anti-Terrorism (Third Amendment) Bill 2013 will now be tabled in parliament for approval, which it seems likely to get. The ambit of the legislation has been widened considerably and now takes in extortion, kidnapping and targeted killing which will now be considered terrorist offences. Protest they might, but the rule of law needs to be both recalibrated and rigorously enforced without fear of favour. The Rangers will be able to shoot, or order fire to be opened after prior warning ‘as considered necessary’, and may open fire without being fired upon themselves. They will be able to detain suspects for up to three months and provide protection for witnesses as well as a slew of other potentially draconian measures. Extreme situations may demand extreme solutions, but the newly empowered Rangers must not take the amended legislation as permission to run amok. Their power must be used judiciously, but not as ‘judge and jury’, else this move will backfire. This new power must also be backed by accurate intelligence.

It is of utmost importance that the focus on improving the situation in Karachi is followed up by professional and dedicated implementation by the provincial government, taking on board all stakeholders. Let’s hope that this latest drastic step is able to bring some semblance of law and normality back to a city that is seen by many as the world’s most dangerous.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd, 2013.

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