SKI masks teamed with civilian gear do not conjure up the image of law-enforcement. Quite the contrary in fact, especially in a city like Karachi which has more than its share of criminal happenings such as kidnappings, muggings and the like, often carried out by masked hoodlums.

That in itself — aside from the latitude taken with standard operating procedure — renders the appearance at the Sindh High Court on Saturday, of commandos from Sindh Police’s Special Security Unit wearing casual western wear along with ski masks over their faces, all the more reprehensible and deserving of censure.

Also read: Rangers escort Mirza home on SHC order

The arrival of the contingent ostensibly belonging to the SSU — we have little choice but to take their word for it — coincided with Zulfikar Mirza’s bail hearing inside one of the courtrooms.

The commandos’ thuggish appearance was soon translated into action as they proceeded to beat up Mr Mirza’s guards and then turned their ire on the journalists’ covering the rumpus. They snatched their cameras and roughed them up, resulting in injuries to at least two of them.

The travails of the PPP’s former home minister are clearly the unseemly manifestation of a rift between him and his parent party, specifically some heavyweights within it.

The impression of a private dispute being tackled largely through the manipulation of state machinery is reinforced when SSU commandos look, and behave, like a private militia.

The SSU’s original mandate was to provide protection to VVIPs, but its remit has since expanded to an active role in counterterrorism and special operations.

No doubt some of these operations are risky enough to require personnel to hide their identity, as do the Rangers now and then.

However, there was no cause for this, let alone for being out of uniform, on this occasion — even if some of the charges against Mr Mirza have been filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The purpose behind the commandos’ menacing appearance was to intimidate those present, scarcely the ‘professional’ approach they claim to practise.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2015

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