KARACHI: Corps Commander Karachi Lieutenant General Naveed Mukhtar on Friday said that peace in the city was made possible after assigning special powers to Rangers.
He made the statement while making an address during his visit to Rangers Headquarter.
During his address to the officers taking part in Karachi operation, Lieutenant General Naveed Mukhtar said that Rangers role against terrorism serves as a backbone for the country. He stated that uncertain conditions reinforce criminal elements.
“Uncertainty gives leverage to criminal elements,” remarked the Corps Commander, adding that Pakistan Rangers will continue to play an effective role to protect the people of Karachi from the menace of terrorism.
On this occasion, the officers of Karachi operation gave detailed briefing of Karachi operation to Lieutenant General Naveed Mukhtar.
These comments come as the Sindh government passed a resolution on Wednesday, extending Rangers’ stay in the province but putting four conditions on its powers to raid, arrest and detain terrorism suspects.
The resolution, in which the word “terrorism” was replaced with “sectarian killing”, reads: “The Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) will have powers in respect of only target killing; extortion/bhatta; kidnapping for ransom and sectarian killing.”
The second condition the resolution imposed on Rangers said the paramilitary force could not place any person “who is not directly involved in terrorism and only suspected of aiding and abetting terrorists or by way of terror financing or facilitating terrorists” under preventive detention without prior approval of the chief minister.
Similarly, Rangers cannot raid any office of the Sindh government and its attached departments without prior written approval of the chief secretary.
In what appeared to be an attempt to cut off cooperation between federal authorities like the National Accountability Bureau or Federal Investigation Agency and Rangers, the resolution said the paramilitary force “shall not assist any other institution apart from Sindh Police” in carrying out its action against targeted killing, extortion, kidnapping for ransom and sectarian killing.
INP
