Sindh govt resigns to Rangers’ powers

ISLAMABAD: The Sindh government, which had raised a lot of hue and cry over the Rangers’ powers in recent months and confronted the Centre on the issue as well, attached no strings while seeking an extension in the agency’s role in Karachi early this month.

The Sindh government approached the interior ministry last week, seeking an extension in Rangers’ powers for 90 days. This time, however, no conditions were attached by the provincial government and there was no mention of any conditional role for the Rangers in Karachi.

Consequently, the interior ministry issued a notification on February 3.  While extending the Rangers’ presence in Karachi, the agency was given the same powers as were being exercised by it earlier.

According to the interior ministry’s notification, the Rangers have been given the powers as were reflected in the interior ministry’s notification dated December 25, 2015.The notification also explained that the powers conferred upon the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) in Karachi Division, under clause (i) of sub-section (3) of Section-4 of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, are extended for another period of 90 days with effect from Feb 4, 2016.

Following the Dr Asim-linked controversy, the Sindh government had curtailed the Rangers’ powers and allowed it to operate only against target killings, sectarian killings, extortion and kidnappings for ransom. The Sindh government had clipped the Rangers’ powers relating to terrorism and terror financing besides barring the agency from arresting any political figure or raiding anywithout the permission of the chief minister.

However, the interior ministry found the Sindh government’s decision as illegal and unconstitutional. Despite the Sindh government’s request in Dec 2015 for extension in Rangers’ presence in Karachi with curtailed powers, the interior ministry gave free hand to Karachi Rangers to continue its policing job under Anti-Terrorist Act 1997 without having been influenced by the Sindh Assembly resolution or provincial government’s executive order.

In its letter, issued to the provincial government in the second half of December 2015, the interior ministry had conveyed to the Sindh government that powers conferred on the Rangers under Anti-Terrorist Act 1997 could not be abridged, customized or made conditional.

The federal government had also rejected all these conditions set by the provincial government and revived all past powers of the Rangers. The provincial government was then told that powers conferred on Rangers under Section 4 of ATA 1997 could not be made conditional.

Despite the provincial government’s reservations, the interior ministry had issued a notification on December 25, 2015 for extension in Rangers’ role without limiting its authority. The February 3rd, 2016 notification of the interior ministry is almost the replica of the December 25, 2015 notification and unambiguously referred to the ATA 1997 in regard to the Rangers’ authority.

It is interesting to note here that just a few days before the Sindh government this time approached the interior ministry for Rangers’ extension in Karachi. Rangers announced to have arrested Uzair Baloch, a notorious leader of the Lyari gang war and chief of proscribed Peoples Amn Committee (PAC).