Rangers arrest Asad Kharal from Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: The Rangers on Thursday evening allegedly held Asad Kharal from Hyderabad, sources said. He had fled from their custody in Larkana,  according to Geo News. Two of his colleagues, Zahid Bachani and Abdal Sehto, were also arrested during the raid.

However, the paramilitary force did not confirm the arrest and a spokesman said the confirmation would take som time. Similarly, Hyderabad SSP Irfan Ali Baloch said he did not have any information, adding that neither the police had arrested him nor any other organisation contacted them in this connection.

The raid on a secret hideout leading to the arrest of Muhammad Ali alias Asad Kharal was conducted on a tip-off, according to sources. He was shifted to some undisclosed location immediately after his arrest and was being grilled on multiple issues.

Asad, a PPP worker, is accused of corruption involving millions of rupees and acting as a ‘frontman’ for a key figure in the Sindh government.Earlier on July 13, Rangers had arrested him in Larkana, but he was freed by his supporters who confronted the paramilitary soldiers, raising serious questions about the handling of law and order in the province.

In an official statement on July 15, DG Rangers Maj Gen Bilal Akbar said the Karachi operation had been extended to other parts of Sindh. “Criminals take kidnapped hostages to rural Sindh. The operation will target every criminal,” he asserted.

The row between the Sindh government and the Rangers deepened over this issue last week when the paramilitary personnel and the police briefly surrounded the residence of Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal, in an apparent move to arrest Asad and Tariq Siyal, the brother of the home minister.

Tariq is also stated to be involved in the July 13 incident when Asad was freed from the Rangers custody, but the home minister rejected the claims.A Rangers spokesman at that time had said Asad was backing eight criminals for whom head money had been fixed besides 12 other proclaimed offenders.Previous reports also suggested that over 10 close aides of Tariq and Asad had already been arrested from different parts of Larkana.