ahlam1399
07-21-2016, 04:51 AM
The Sindh government clearly showed its anger over the raid conducted by the Rangers in Larkana last week to arrest one alleged "front man" of the brother of the Sindh home minister for facilitating "criminals" after it refused to expand the "Karachi operation" in the province, which may change the dynamics of the present conflict involving the Rangers, Sindh and federal governments and more importantly the establishment.
The federal government awaits the response from the Sindh government, but sources said the Rangers are willing to withdraw from Sindh if the provincial government feels that the police have the capacity to maintain law and order.
"It’s a good option and after all we have a big police force and the government spends over Rs 70 billion on it every year. They should replace us and we are ready to go," said a senior Rangers official on condition of a**nymity.
The Sindh government has said the Rangers are **t needed outside Karachi under the ATA and the police are doing a fine job. The situation as stands after midnight on Wednesday, the Rangers presence in Sindh has ** legal value even in Karachi **r they have the power to arrest anyone.
There are reports that if the provincial authorities maintain the status quo for few more days, the Rangers may write to the Sindh government to make alternative arrangements and
replace them with police, particularly at sensitive places where they have been deployed for the past several years.
Thus the decision to extend the Rangers stay and their powers under the ATA would be taken by former president Asif Ali Zardari in consultation with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali, captain of the Karachi operation, in Dubai.
This is **t the first time that the conflict arose between the two parties, but this time it occurred at a time when after the police failure, the top security agencies recovered Barrister Owais Shah, son of the Sindh High Court chief justice after 29 days. He had been kidnapped from outside a busy shopping centre in Clifton.
In a surprised move, Syed Qaim Ali Shah hinted that since the Rangers have acted outside their jurisdiction, i.e. interior Sindh, a clear reference to the Asad Kharral incident, the party leadership would take the decision. It itself indicates how powerful the chief minister is. He has also defined the Rangers powers in four areas and made it clear that they have ** ATA powers outside Karachi. But, was the Kharral-Sial raid the only reason for which the government has withheld its **tification of extending the Rangers stay in Sindh and ATA powers or there is something more including reports of possible arrest of some key leaders of the PPP and the Sindh government in corruption and terror financing investigations.
The CM, along with some other leaders, has been summoned by former president Asif Ali Zardari to Dubai on Friday, for serious consultations over the future relationship with the Rangers, the federal government and the establishment.
Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif, in his last visit to Karachi, was very clear that the ongoing operation is irreversible and may speed up. In the follow up, Rangers DG Major General Bilal Akbar stated that the operation is part of the National Action Plan and would continued throughout Sindh.
The Rangers have defended their position on Larkana and said they have been deployed under Article 147 CrPC, but have ** jurisdiction under the ATA outside Karachi. Thus, the raid was conducted after investigations against 20 most wanted criminals. They had arrested Kharral, but the provincial home minister's brother got him released and thus created hindrance for them.
Well-informed sources revealed that the provincial government for the last couple of months has been asking the federal interior ministry to instruct the FIA to hand over 15,000 plot files recovered from the Sindh Building Control Authority. Some of these files are with the NAB as well.
"All this may lead to real people behind the China-cutting scam and the role of SBCA Chief Manzoor Kaka who is considered very close to the top PPP leadership. Kaka managed to escape and sources said, after completion of probe, the authorities may seek the Interpol help, if required.
A**ther probe which is causing concern for the PPP and provincial government circles is investigation into a huge "fisheries scam" worth billions of rupees and linked to terror financing. Following investigations into the cases of Sulman Siddiqui, Nisar Morai and other officials of the Fishermen Co-operative Society and an in-depth interrogation of the head of Lyari Gang, Uzair Baloch, the Rangers and the establishment may seek approval for the arrest of some important PPP leaders.
While Dr Asim Hussain case is still wide open, there is a strong feeling among the PPP leadership that if the Rangers powers, under the ATA, were extended to whole of Sindh, it may aggravate the conflict.
The PPP government is particularly an**yed that prior to this operation, its leaders were never accused of terror financing. It also fears that at some stage, the JIT investigating Uzair Baloch might be used against them.
Therefore, the CM, under instructions from the top PPP leadership, has also expressed reservations on some JITs. On the other hand, the Rangers apprehensions are that there have been cases in the last two years when some suspects managed to escape after their "inquiries" came under discussion in the apex committee meetings and news were possibly leaked to them.
As the Sindh government withheld its decision over the Rangers stay and their powers under the ATA, there is uncertainty over the presence of the paramilitary forces, particularly at a time when some 136 Rangers personnel have been deployed with judges and are looking after the security of 28 consulates besides holding hundreds of alleged militants belonging to outlawed groups, Lyari gangs and the MQM. Will they all be handed over to the police?
Though there are chances that the Rangers stay in Sindh may be extended for about 120 days, if **t for one year along with ATA powers, they would be confined to Karachi despite their request to expand the ATA jurisdiction to whole of Sindh.
The Rangers also feared that despite intelligence reports and instructions, the police have done little to take firm action against outlawed groups whose presence is **w increasing in interior Sindh.
Owais Shah's safe return has given a new hope to judges and has increased the moral of the law-enforcement and security agencies, but the way the Sindh government blocked the Rangers powers and rejected their plea to expand their operation beyond Karachi, the crises has deepened.
Earlier, Sindh had also opposed the Rangers plea in the Supreme Court about having their own police stations and prosecution. The Rangers will **t have powers to detain someone for 90 days if denied ATA powers. In such a state of affairs, we may go back to the pre-2013 position when they could only aid the police.
With the Rangers already in a serious conflict with the MQM, particularly after the death of Aftab Ahmad and the raid on Dr Farooq Sattar's house, the new tussle with the Sindh government has deteriorated the situation.
The writer is a senior columnist and analyst of the Geo News, The News and daily Jang.
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The federal government awaits the response from the Sindh government, but sources said the Rangers are willing to withdraw from Sindh if the provincial government feels that the police have the capacity to maintain law and order.
"It’s a good option and after all we have a big police force and the government spends over Rs 70 billion on it every year. They should replace us and we are ready to go," said a senior Rangers official on condition of a**nymity.
The Sindh government has said the Rangers are **t needed outside Karachi under the ATA and the police are doing a fine job. The situation as stands after midnight on Wednesday, the Rangers presence in Sindh has ** legal value even in Karachi **r they have the power to arrest anyone.
There are reports that if the provincial authorities maintain the status quo for few more days, the Rangers may write to the Sindh government to make alternative arrangements and
replace them with police, particularly at sensitive places where they have been deployed for the past several years.
Thus the decision to extend the Rangers stay and their powers under the ATA would be taken by former president Asif Ali Zardari in consultation with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali, captain of the Karachi operation, in Dubai.
This is **t the first time that the conflict arose between the two parties, but this time it occurred at a time when after the police failure, the top security agencies recovered Barrister Owais Shah, son of the Sindh High Court chief justice after 29 days. He had been kidnapped from outside a busy shopping centre in Clifton.
In a surprised move, Syed Qaim Ali Shah hinted that since the Rangers have acted outside their jurisdiction, i.e. interior Sindh, a clear reference to the Asad Kharral incident, the party leadership would take the decision. It itself indicates how powerful the chief minister is. He has also defined the Rangers powers in four areas and made it clear that they have ** ATA powers outside Karachi. But, was the Kharral-Sial raid the only reason for which the government has withheld its **tification of extending the Rangers stay in Sindh and ATA powers or there is something more including reports of possible arrest of some key leaders of the PPP and the Sindh government in corruption and terror financing investigations.
The CM, along with some other leaders, has been summoned by former president Asif Ali Zardari to Dubai on Friday, for serious consultations over the future relationship with the Rangers, the federal government and the establishment.
Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif, in his last visit to Karachi, was very clear that the ongoing operation is irreversible and may speed up. In the follow up, Rangers DG Major General Bilal Akbar stated that the operation is part of the National Action Plan and would continued throughout Sindh.
The Rangers have defended their position on Larkana and said they have been deployed under Article 147 CrPC, but have ** jurisdiction under the ATA outside Karachi. Thus, the raid was conducted after investigations against 20 most wanted criminals. They had arrested Kharral, but the provincial home minister's brother got him released and thus created hindrance for them.
Well-informed sources revealed that the provincial government for the last couple of months has been asking the federal interior ministry to instruct the FIA to hand over 15,000 plot files recovered from the Sindh Building Control Authority. Some of these files are with the NAB as well.
"All this may lead to real people behind the China-cutting scam and the role of SBCA Chief Manzoor Kaka who is considered very close to the top PPP leadership. Kaka managed to escape and sources said, after completion of probe, the authorities may seek the Interpol help, if required.
A**ther probe which is causing concern for the PPP and provincial government circles is investigation into a huge "fisheries scam" worth billions of rupees and linked to terror financing. Following investigations into the cases of Sulman Siddiqui, Nisar Morai and other officials of the Fishermen Co-operative Society and an in-depth interrogation of the head of Lyari Gang, Uzair Baloch, the Rangers and the establishment may seek approval for the arrest of some important PPP leaders.
While Dr Asim Hussain case is still wide open, there is a strong feeling among the PPP leadership that if the Rangers powers, under the ATA, were extended to whole of Sindh, it may aggravate the conflict.
The PPP government is particularly an**yed that prior to this operation, its leaders were never accused of terror financing. It also fears that at some stage, the JIT investigating Uzair Baloch might be used against them.
Therefore, the CM, under instructions from the top PPP leadership, has also expressed reservations on some JITs. On the other hand, the Rangers apprehensions are that there have been cases in the last two years when some suspects managed to escape after their "inquiries" came under discussion in the apex committee meetings and news were possibly leaked to them.
As the Sindh government withheld its decision over the Rangers stay and their powers under the ATA, there is uncertainty over the presence of the paramilitary forces, particularly at a time when some 136 Rangers personnel have been deployed with judges and are looking after the security of 28 consulates besides holding hundreds of alleged militants belonging to outlawed groups, Lyari gangs and the MQM. Will they all be handed over to the police?
Though there are chances that the Rangers stay in Sindh may be extended for about 120 days, if **t for one year along with ATA powers, they would be confined to Karachi despite their request to expand the ATA jurisdiction to whole of Sindh.
The Rangers also feared that despite intelligence reports and instructions, the police have done little to take firm action against outlawed groups whose presence is **w increasing in interior Sindh.
Owais Shah's safe return has given a new hope to judges and has increased the moral of the law-enforcement and security agencies, but the way the Sindh government blocked the Rangers powers and rejected their plea to expand their operation beyond Karachi, the crises has deepened.
Earlier, Sindh had also opposed the Rangers plea in the Supreme Court about having their own police stations and prosecution. The Rangers will **t have powers to detain someone for 90 days if denied ATA powers. In such a state of affairs, we may go back to the pre-2013 position when they could only aid the police.
With the Rangers already in a serious conflict with the MQM, particularly after the death of Aftab Ahmad and the raid on Dr Farooq Sattar's house, the new tussle with the Sindh government has deteriorated the situation.
The writer is a senior columnist and analyst of the Geo News, The News and daily Jang.
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