The Rangers authorities revealed on Wednesday that target killers in Karachi were receiving financial assistance from South Africa, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
While briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, the Rangers authorities informed that 7,950 operations were conducted across the metropolis since September 2013. Around 6,361 suspects were handed over to police and 221 were handed over to the FIA and other law enforcement agencies.
As many as 1,158 suspects were released without registration of the first information report (FIR), 1,313 released on bail while 188 were convicted in various cases. A total of 1,236 alleged terrorists, 848 target killers, 403 extortionists and 143 kidnappers were among those arrested during these raids. Alleged target killers confessed to targeting 7,224 persons in the city, the Rangers stated.
As many as 1,313 operations were conducted against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), 1,035 against People’s Aman Committee and 28 operations were carried out against the Awami National Party (ANP).
The Rangers authorities further reported that there was 80 per cent decline in terror-related incidents, 75 per cent in target killings, 85 per cent in extortion cases and 83 per cent reduction in incidents of kidnapping.
The report comes a day after two army men including Lance Naik Abdul Razzaq and Sepoy Khadmin Hussain were shot dead when motorcycle gunmen opened fire on their pick-up truck near Parking Plaza in Saddaq area of Karachi.
The law enforcement personnel launched a major crackdown on terrorists and criminals in the city in 2013 and levels of violence have dropped drastically since then. The city of 20 million is frequently hit by religious, political and ethnic violence. According to statistics compiled by provincial police, 390 people died in targeted killings this year so far, of whom 18 were police personnel.
