Anti-state entities will not be tolerated: DG Rangers

Sindh Rangers Director-General (DG) Major General Muhammad Saeed has emphasised that forces that are working against the country’s interests would not be tolerated, Geo News reported.

“Forces operating against Pakistan won’t be tolerated and nor will [the Rangers] allow any [political] party to create a target-killers’ wing,” said Major General Saeed while addressing senior journalists on Wednesday. He conceded that law-enforcement agencies cannot monitor people’s thoughts but added that at the same time they would not allow any illegal use of weapons either.

“There has been a noticeable decrease in crime within four years of the [Karachi] operation,” he said. “No incident of terrorism has been reported [so far] in 2017.” Major General Saeed also said that “those who terrorised Karachi” will not be forgiven.

Citing the city’s crime statistics for the current year, the Rangers DG said that only four incidents of extortion were reported this year, while the paramilitary force handed over more than 1,400 criminals to the police. “Karachi was on the sixth spot on the crime index in 2013, and it now stands on the 52nd position on the same index,” General Saeed told journalists.

'Positive results'

A day earlier, the top Rangers official had said that “improved peace situation” in the city was a testament to the fact that the Karachi operation had yielded noticeably positive results.

Speaking during a visit to the Bahria University, Major General Saeed said that the paramilitary force is taking every possible measure to improve the peace and security situation and that the Karachi operation will continue till “its objectives are achieved.”

Earlier in October, the Ministry of Interior issued a notification calling for a 90-day extension in Rangers’ deployment in Karachi on the request of the Sindh government. The extension was granted under the Anti-terrorism Act 1997 and stood effective from October 18.

The paramilitary force was granted certain special powers including the authority to make arrests and conduct raids when the Karachi operation started. Under the National Action Plan and the Anti-Terrorism Act, the federal cabinet granted special powers to the Rangers to lead a targeted joint operation with the police against criminals involved in target killings, kidnappings for ransom, extortion and terrorism in Karachi. The operation was launched in September 2013.

The paramilitary force has been engaged in combing out terrorist factions inhabiting the city, including the terrorist outfit Ansarul Shariah, whose chief was killed in a joint Rangers and Counter-Terrorism Department raid in October.

A large number of wanted suspects have been nabbed and large caches of weapons and explosive materials, among other things, have been recovered from terrorists’ hideouts since the operation commenced.  

Two muggers killed

The paramilitary force has claimed to have gunned down two alleged street criminals and arrested 13 others during targeted operations and raids in the city, adds our correspondent.

A spokesman said that late on Tuesday night, Rangers’ personnel were on routine patrolling in a mobile in the Korangi district when they were informed that two robbers were looting citizens in Korangi Industrial Area’s near Godaam Chowrangi. As the soldiers rushed to the scene, the robbers opened fire. The Rangers’ personnel retaliated and arrested a robber in an injured condition but his accomplice fled.

The injured man, named as Nasir alias Kala, later died. He was alleged to be a notorious robber and wanted by the Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Gulistan-e-Jauhar police in several cases. A weapon and ammunition was found on him.

The spokesman said that in raids conducted in different localities of the city on Wednesday, 13 suspected criminals were arrested. In an intelligence-based raid in Rizvia Society, Syed Atif Abbas Naqvi, who belongs to the banned Sipah-e-Mohammad Pakistan, was taken into custody. He was said to be wanted over target killings, extortion and other heinous crimes.

In the Preedy area, Mohammad Daniyal of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London was arrested over chargers of involvement in extortion, wall-chalking and other crimes. In Gizri, Gulberg, Rizvia and Korangi Industrial Area raids, four suspects -- identified as Mirajuddin alias Meenu, Saifullah alias Niazi, Zulfiqar Ahmed and Mohammad Nasir – were apprehended. They were allegedly involved in target killings, extortion, robberies, operating gambling dens, facilitating Lyari gangsters and other heinous crimes.

The spokesman said soldiers caught two suspects, Anjum Malik alias Fayyaz and Mohammad Faizan alias Don, in Korangi Industrial Area. Both were said to be involved in kidnappings for ransom and were wanted by different police stations.

Acting on credible information, Rangers’ personnel raided a place in the Chakiwara area and arrested five men, identified as Mohammad Fawad Ali, Balaaj, Asghar Ali alias Daada, Abbas Ali and Haji Junaid, for operating a drug den.