The Sindh government on Friday extended the Rangers’ stay in Karachi by one year starting from July 20.
According to a spokesperson of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, the paramilitary force’s tenure for assisting police and civil administration was due to expire on July 19 (Saturday).
The deployment of Sindh Rangers in Karachi is requisitioned under Article 147 of the Constitution and under Clause 1 of Subsection 3 of Section 4 of Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, authorising Rangers to prevent the commission of terrorist acts and scheduled offences in notified areas.
While the Sindh government has been granting extension in the duration of Rangers’ policing powers via notifications from the Sindh Home Department every three months since 2010, this time around a standoff between the paramilitary force and the Sindh government had led the chief minister to mull other options.
Previously, the Sindh CM stressed that following the passage of the 18th Constitutional Amendment, the matter of extension was to be decided by the provincial legislature, giving rise to uncertainty on what course of action, if any, will be taken to continue the paramilitary force’s operations in Sindh.
The provincial government had extended the Rangers’ stay in Karachi by one month on the directions of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
