‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’ on Tuesday
KARACHI: The Rangers have gone in the background while the Centre and the Sindh governments have come to the front in the matter of powers to Rangers, said Shahzeb Khanzada while presenting his analysis in the programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’ on Tuesday.
The central government, while rejecting the summary of the provincial government, extended the powers of the Rangers for 60 days to which the province responded by giving a stern response.
Shahzeb Khanzadaa said the reply to Sindh government from Chaudhry Nisar was not from his side but was prepared on the instructions of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He said the prime minister was taken into confidence on every single point of the reply.
Shahzeb Khanzada said the situation for Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM was getting complicated. Non-bailable arrest warrants had been issued for Muttahida Quaid, the nominated mayor and 25 other important leaders.
Regarding the case of murdered MQM leader Imran Farooq, Shahzeb Khanzada said there was an important progress. Dr Imran Farooq’s widow had, for the first time in five years, recorded her statement in the London court.
She confirmed the statement she had recorded with the police five years earlier, while the twelve police personnel, who had come to Pakistan for investigation of the case, had also recorded their statements before the court.
Shahzeb Khanzada said the problems for the Sindh government were also growing. The Sindh High Court issued contempt of court notice against IG Sindh and 11 other officers. In case of a decision in the case the senior officers of the police might have to go home.
Adviser to Sindh CM on Information Maula Bakhsh Chandio said the resolution of Sindh Assembly could not be termed illegal. He said it had been clearly defined in Article 147 that the province had the powers to give conditional or unconditional powers to Rangers. He said the N-League government did not give importance to provinces; the differences between provinces and centre enhanced whenever there was N-League government.
“The Sindh Assembly is the legislative body of the province and cannot be neglected,” He said and added that the Sindh government was not against the Rangers as the PPP did not have any objection to their presence or powers. “We mention their actions and powers with pride. We did not indulge in any illegal activity while bringing a resolution on extension of the powers of Rangers.
We will accept the decision of the court in the case of Dr Asim. We have accepted every decision of the court right from the hanging of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto till the declaration of the ineligibility of prime minister,” he said.
Maula Bakhsh Chandio said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf would be happy over differences between the Centre and Sindh, while relations between the MQM and the Centre were also not well. “We do not have sour relations with Chaudhry Nisar. If the prime minister ignores the provinces, he will have no good relations with any province. It would be worrisome in case the situation worsens - we would be worried while the centre would also be worried,” he opined.
Leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Abdul Qadir Baloch said whenever the Rangers were given a task, they took action according to their choice. Nothing would come out if the Rangers were guided like children. He said restriction on speeches of Altaf Hussain had been imposed by the High Court. Listening to Muttahida Quaid’s speeches was an illegal activity and registering an FIR on listening to the speeches was not exceeding to the powers.
He said the Rangers had no enmity with Dr Asim. There was not only the treatment of terrorists but there were other matters as well for which he was kept in custody for 90 days. There was no harm in treating others, it happened during the war that the enemy soldiers were also provided treatment and they were not just thrown away for dying.
MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar said the case registered for listening to Altaf Hussain’s speeched or making arrangements to listen to the speeches was the first of its kind. More than five thousand people listened to the speech but the case was registered against those 25 whose names were known. There was no restriction on relaying Altaf Hussain’s speech, and there was no black out at that time, what it was that a notice was taken and on whose instruction the FIR was registered against 25 Muttahida leaders.
