KARACHI: The chief minister of Sindh on Saturday extended ‘special powers’ of Pakistan Rangers in Karachi for another four months hours before the last extension given to them was going to expire, allowing the paramilitary force to stay in the metropolis to help police and civil administration, officials said. The matter, however, is subject to ratification by the Sindh Assembly which will resume its session on Monday, according to a spokesperson for CM House.

In July, the Sindh government had extended the special policing powers of the Rangers only for a month unlike the past trends when they were extended for a few months. The order had come only after a high-level meeting between senior officials at CM House.

A brief statement issued from CM House said the powers of the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, had been extended for 120 days under the Anti-terrorism Act. “These powers were due to expire on Saturday night. Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has expressed the hope that the Rangers would continue to do its job with the same zeal,” the statement added.

Assisting the police in Karachi since 1989 when the Pakistan Peoples Party government in the centre at the time had called in the Rangers and the Frontier Constabulary to curb rising political violence in the metropolis, the paramilitary force started enjoying policing powers a few years ago amid increasing number of killings on sectarian, political and ethnic grounds in the city.

However, their stay came under question last month when the Sindh government delayed the notification of policing powers extension until the eleventh hour. The situation sent ripples in Islamabad where the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led federal government also announced their support for extension in their stay in Karachi where the paramilitary force has been leading a ‘targeted-operation’ for more than a year.

“The recent extension in Rangers powers has been given by the chief minister with the consent of the Pakistan Peoples Party leadership and approval from party’s co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari,” said a source privy to the details of the fresh move.

However, the source said, the matter would be put before provincial lawmakers to get it ratified as the Sindh government believed that it was bound after the 18th amendment to the Constitution to seek concurrence of the provincial assembly for allowing the Rangers to continue their stay and operation.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2015

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