Truckloads of men rounded up in Rangers’ dawn raid

Kunwari Colony, Sultanabad, Mianwali Colony and Nusrat Bhutto Colony targeted.

KARACHI: Scores of Rangers jawans hit the ground in Kunwari Colony in Manghopir 6am Tuesday and bussed out truckloads of men after a major raid and door-to-door search.

This was not the only neighbourhood where the action took place. An estimated 500 men were taken in for questioning from Sultanabad, Mianwali Colony and Nusrat Bhutto Colony as well. The prime target was Kunwari Colony where the grand operation lasted till noon, amid reports that a Taliban office had been uncovered and about 13 suspects were rounded up. A Rangers spokesman neither denied nor accepted this, however, and said that matters would be clarified once questioning was completed.

Residents from Kunwari Colony said at least 100 Rangers jawans took part in the raid and that preparations had begun the night before when the area was cordoned off with the help of the police. “I came to know about it when I went back to my home in the night from work,” said Malik Shah, a resident of Nusrat Bhutto Colony. “They only allowed me in after I showed my computerised national identity card and job card.” The Rangers detained men from two major parties as well, he said.

There were reports, unconfirmed by The Express Tribune, that a man named Zainullah Mehsud had snatched weapons from Rangers personnel last week in a fight. Sources said that suspects detained before Tuesday’s operation included Siddiq Mehsud, Raheel Mehsud, Muzammil and Inayat.

The Sindh Rangers issued a brief handout about the long operation. It only stated that they had detained several suspects and recovered weapons from their possession during search operations in Kunwari Colony and surrounding areas. A Rangers official told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity that the operation was carried out based on specific information. “The detainees have been shifted to the different wings and the Rangers themselves are interrogating them and if anyone is found innocent, he will be released,” he said. “We do not want to create confusion by giving statements before time.” In response to a question, he said that it was premature to say anything about the presence of Taliban in the locality.

Bad reaction

According to an SMS circulated on Tuesday, a group that identified itself as the ‘Muttahida Qaumi Pakhtoon Ittehad’ condemned the operation and said that it was one-sided. “Without doubt, it was an operation only against the Pakhtuns as the areas where the Rangers held the operation are Pakhtun dominated from where several innocent Pakhtuns were detained and shifted to an undisclosed location,” said MQPI information secretary Islamullah Mehsud. “We have called a strike on Wednesday.”

On the other hand, Awami National Party Sindh’s Shahi Syed told The Express Tribune that they supported the law enforcers for conducting the operation to eliminate criminal elements and suspected militants from the city.

“If any law-enforcement agency launches an operation in any locality, it means that they have specific information and it is our responsibility to support them,” Shahi Syed said. “The LEAs are taking action not against any party but they are countering elements that can be in any party. Even if the Rangers or police have reports about the presence of criminal elements in my party and they want to take action, I would not have any objection.” Talking about the MQPI, he said that he did not know about it and had never heard about it.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2010.