Treading the minefield carefully
A go-ahead has finally been given for an ‘unbiased and strategic operation’ in Karachi that Nawaz Sharif prefers to call a ‘campaign’. It was considered unwise to use army at this stage. Among other things using army in a city where the government was in the main able to enforce its writ was considered unnecessary. The cabinet has however decided to give the Rangers rather than police the lead role as the latter suffers from a number of deficiencies. These include the politicization of the force over the last decade which has eroded its professionalism and the loss of morale due to the killing of scores of police officers who played a prominent part in the past operations. What is more, the police is not trained to take out highly motivated terrorists belonging to banned outfits who have also been involved in killings and bank heists in the last few years. The Rangers are supposed to be better disciplined, better armed and thus more capable of dealing with the terrorists as well. The Rangers have no fear of reprisals after the change of government as their stay in the city is not permanent.
The Rangers however have inadequacies of their own. Their prolonged stay has affected their discipline. During their dealings with various types of mafia in Karachi, some have acquired tendencies that have already made the police notorious. Two widely reported incidents in Karachi indicate that not all the Rangers are careful in the use of firearms. This partly explains why despite being in Karachi for years they have failed to control crime. Will they succeed now? The Rangers would supposedly act on information provided by the security agencies. Hopefully there will be better coordination and timely imparting of intelligence than it has been in the past. To start with the force is required to get 450 individuals involved in serious crime and to eliminate the no-go areas in Karachi. The DG Rangers has asked for more powers that include freedom to enter suspected premises. The force will have to use the newly acquired authority with care and sensitivity. The Rangers are to operate in an urban population which is both sensitive and vocal. If they succeed in putting an end to the killing, extortion and other violent crime, they will be hailed all over the country. In case of heavy-handedness or gross violation of human rights there will be widespread resentment and condemnation.
The operation in Karachi would also test PML-N’s ability to bring peace to the metropolis without in any way violating the provincial autonomy. The CM of the province has to be on board in all major decisions. Islamabad should be seen to be helping Sindh rather than imposing its will over it. One hopes the promise to evolve a mechanism of oversight comprising political parties and representatives of civil society and media would be fulfilled.
