Qaim’s complaint about Rangers’ use of powers valid: Sethi

LAHORE: Najam Sethi on Monday said the Sindh chief minister’s complaints about Rangers misusing their authority were genuine. The Karachi operation, he said, was launched after getting permission from PPP and MQM but both the parties were unhappy as their members were being arrested.
Expressing his views in Geo News programme ‘Aapas ki Baat’, he said the operation was being carried out in an impartial manner against criminals and those financing terrorism. It seemed that there were important people in political parties that fell under the category, he added.
According to Sethi, political and non-political interests are clashing in Karachi. The political parties would not have any issue if terrorists, not their members, were arrested.
There is a fear that Asif Ali Zardari may also become a target during the process and that is why he is staying abroad, while giving instructions to the chief minister. Pressure is being exerted on Dr Asim for the same reason.
Sethi said the army chief was right in saying that the operation was apolitical and unbiased, adding that they had been arresting only the culprits, but the problem was that they were political persons.
He said there would be no option but to impose governor’s rule or martial law, if the Sindh government didn’t extend the powers of Rangers. But, he said, imposing governor’s rule had become difficult, adding that the federal government had been trying to impress the army not to take a tough position but the military was thinking otherwise. For that very reason, the prime minister and the interior minister were in Karachi to convince both sides, he added.
According to Sethi, the Rangers’ case against Dr Asim has weakened and that’s why he spoke openly before the court. The Sindh High Court should take notice of the situation. The JIT report hasn’t been presented before the court and there would have been no need of further remand for Dr Asim, if it had been done.
The Rangers should submit evidence, if it has any. Dr Asim has talked about the ego of the army on the one hand and that of Zardari and Altaf Hussain on the other. He has become a shuttlecock between the two. He has close links with MQM and PPP and very close to the leaders of both parties.
Chaudhry Nisar says the FIR in Dr Imran Farooq murder case has been registered by the state institutions. If the prime minister and the interior minister - both state representatives - don’t know about the FIR then who has lodged it. And why the FIA boss - interior minister - has no information about it.
Sethi said no case could be registered against Altaf, in case he was a British citizen, but it was possible if he was a Pakistani national. The registration of case on the polling day showed that it was a message to the voters that why they were going to vote MQM when their leader had become a target, he added.
Sethi said an ordinary person would certainly think that the FIR could have been registered 10-12 days before or after the local government elections, but the people had embarrassed those registering the FIR.
He said that the people had seconded the MQM’s claim about being victimised. The army’s political strategy in the Karachi operation was failing and it should think whether the operation was being handled in the right manner.