The Sindh Cabinet is likely to meet on Friday (tomorrow) to discuss the issue of special policing powers for the Sindh Rangers in Karachi Division.
Following expiration of the paramilitary force’s special powers on April 14, Rangers personnel deployed in all areas including sensitive points across Sindh were summoned back to their headquarters.
There has since been little clarity forthcoming over the matter but, on Wednesday, newly appointed Sindh Law Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar said a meeting of the provincial cabinet was likely on Friday to decide the matter. He said the government was bound to seek the provincial cabinet’s approval on the issue of the Rangers’ powers, vowing that powers would be delegated in accordance with the law.
Lanjar stated the provincial government would also write to the Centre in accordance with Sub-Section 2 of Section 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
He said the federal government had already issued a notification revalidating till July 19, 2017, the stationing of Rangers in the province in aid of the civil administration.
The minister said the issue should not be politicised and asserted that the Sindh government had never given the impression that it would not delegate powers to the Rangers again. The minister’s statement comes amid a war of words between the provincial government and the Rangers. Late on Tuesday night, the Sindh government released a notification detailing the locations where the paramilitary force was bound to provide security.
In response, the Rangers issued a statement objecting to the fact that the government’s notification stated that the paramilitary force was deployed under Article 147 to assist the civil administration.
“The notification gives off the impression that the Rangers will operate like the police, although Article 147 clearly states the opposite,” a Rangers spokesperson said.
The government notification issued late on Tuesday night notified a number of sensitive and high-profile government installations and public buildings where deployment of the paramilitary force was mandatory. The notice was issued by the Sindh Home Department in the wake of media reports that Rangers were no more performing routine security duties, patrolling and surveillance at a number of important locations, including the University of Karachi.
The notification was issued a day after the home department issued a press note clarifying the position of the Sindh government that it had not withdrawn functions and duties of Sindh Rangers deployed in the province in aid to civil administration and the provincial police force.
The notification [SO(LE-I)/HD/Rangers/12-3/2017] identified the following locations where Rangers were to be deployed: all foreign diplomatic missions’ offices/residences including consulates/consulate general residences; all offices/buildings of Supreme Court, High Court, District/Sessions Courts. Anti-Terrorism Courts, and residences of the judges of ATCs and superior judiciary; Governor House, Chief Minister House; Residence of former president of Pakistan (Bilawal House Karachi); Mazar-e-Quaid; Sindh Assembly building; Sindh Secretariat buildings; Central Prison Karachi and District Jail Malir; all major hospitals of Karachi including Aga Khan Hospital, Liaquat National Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, Dr Ziauddin Hospital, and Civil Hospital Karachi; all public sector universities including Karachi University, NED University, Dow University, Dawood University, University of Sindh, MUET Jamshoro, LUHMS Jamshoro, Medical University Shaheed Benazirabad; Quaid-e-Awam University Shaheed Benazirabad; SMBBU Larkana, and SALU Khairpur; Jinnah International Airport; CPEC projects and non-CPEC projects sponsored by the government; all major electricity grid stations, high power transmission lines and head offices of K-Electric; major railway stations and bus stands; oil terminal Keamari Karach; oil refineries including PARCO pumping stations and major pipelines; major SSGC installations and main pipelines; all barrages and bridges on River Indus; major religious places of all sects and religious minorities, including mosques, Imambargahs, Jamat Khanas, Churches, Gurdwaras, temples etc and major shrines/dargahs most frequently visited by large number of masses; locality of Lyari; Red Zone Areas; any other installation/establishment/premises identified by the inspector general of police, Sindh, and/or any divisional commissioner of Sindh or declared so by the government of Sindh in future.
