- Interior minister says Sindh Rangers not a security company to deploy for security of VIPs
Federal Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Wednesday said that the performance and sacrifices of Rangers were made unnecessarily controversial after every three months.
In a statement, he said that the paramilitary forces could only fulfill its responsibilities in Karachi when no excuse was used in giving it authority under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. He said that the intention of the Sindh government to give limited powers to the Rangers was against law and rules, as no law could be limited through administrative orders.
He said that it was ridiculous that the provincial government of Sindh wanted to use Rangers as its guards, but was not ready to give them powers under the relevant law for the protection of people of Karachi. The Sindh Rangers was not a security company which could be deployed for security of VIPs, he added.
The interior minister said that this excuse was also unreasonable and illogical that Sindh government wanted to give the same kind of powers to Rangers as was given by the government of Punjab. The reality was that in Punjab, too, Rangers were given powers under the sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997; these powers were not limited by the government of Punjab or the federal government, he added.
The minister said, “The people of Karachi and Sindh were not only satisfied with the performance of Rangers but also trusted them.” He said that it was not only strange but also a matter of concern that the provincial government for its specific political objectives was compromising on the security of people of Sindh.
On one hand, the provincial government wanted security of Rangers for itself and, on the other,insisted on leaving the people defenseless, he added. If for the sake of public interest, he said, the provincial government would not issue notification for extension in the power of Rangers, the federal government would consider alternative constitutional and legal option.
