TAXILA: Federal Minis­ter for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has expressed the hope that the issue of Rangers’ stay in Sindh with special powers will be resolved positively in a few days.

Speaking at a news conference here at the Kohistan House on Saturday, he hoped the matter would be resolved soon as a new chief minister had taken charge of his office in Sindh.

He was accompanied by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s former MPA from Taxila Sheikh Zeeshan Saeed.

The minister said the Rangers enjoyed full support of the federal government which would help the paramilitary force to complete its job of establishing complete peace in Karachi. He hoped that the Sindh government would play its due role in this regard.

Chaudhry Nisar said it was a matter of concern that extension of the special powers of Rangers was made controversial each time. He said the Karachi operation was launched after consultation and consensus with the Sindh government on the orders of the Supreme Court. How the paramilitary force could be expected to deliver when it did not have the required powers, he wondered.

He said the Rangers had restored peace to Karachi to a great extent and for the purpose many of its personnel had sacrificed their lives during the past two and a half years.

The minister said the federal government was satisfied with the progress and working of Rangers in Karachi.

Answering a question, he said the visa agreement with Kuwait signed in 2013 had been suspended as the accord was not being honoured by the other side. “Despite the accord with Kuwait, Pakistani government officials holding Blue and Diplomatic passports are required to get visas to travel to Kuwait which is against the spirit of the agreement.”

He said the visa issuance system had been improved and it was for the first time in the history of Pakistan that international airlines were being fined on violation of rules. He made it clear that all the bilateral agreements would be suspended in which the other country did not follow the agreement and did not give due honour to Pakistan and its people.

In response to another question, he clarified that Indian Interior Minister Rajnath Singh’s engagements in Pakistan would be limited to the Saarc interior ministers conference and ruled out the possibility of discussion on bilateral issues on the sidelines of the conference.

Answering a question about local politics, he said the PML-N’s candidate for the Punjab Assembly’s seat PP-7 which had fallen vacant after sudden death of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Sadeeq Khan had not yet been finalised.

Chaudhry Nisar ruled out the possibility of his son contesting the elections, saying that he was presently completing his studies.

Later, the minister visited the house of local notable Haji Dildar Khan in Ahata area and inquired after his health.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2016