KARACHI: To settle the tiff between the Sindh government and the Rangers over the Asad Kharal affair, the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party has agreed to shuffle its provincial cabinet as has been demanded by the military hierarchy to ensure impartial operations by the Rangers against criminals and militants, sources in the government said.

Officially, the chief minister denied reports of a change in the Sindh cabinet. However, the sources said a meeting on the law and order presided over by Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah at CM House had the key agenda to improve relations of his government with the Rangers leadership which was angry over the release of Asad Kharal, said to be a close aide of home minister Sohail Anwer Sial, allegedly on the intervention of Mr Sial’s brother. The government and minister denied the charge.

The paramilitary force had earlier on Friday cordoned off the provincial home minister’s residence in Larkana after the Rangers chief’s assertion that the force could go after criminals anywhere under the defined laws.

Read: PPP, Rangers stick to their guns as paramilitary force cordons off home minister’s house in Larkana

Sources said that before a formal meeting at CM House, the chief minister held a meeting with the director general of Rangers and the inspector general of the Sindh police. They added that it was the good rapport of the chief minister which worked for his government to pacify the Rangers hierarchy and persuade them to agree to be part of the meeting.

Sources said CM Shah would convey the message demanding the replacement of the home minister to the ruling party’s leadership and it was likely that PPP co-chairperson Asif Zardari would hold a meeting by the end of the next week to primarily change Mr Sial besides certain insignificant changes in the provincial cabinet.

A day earlier, the statements from the two sides suggested hardening of stances, which could aggravate the situation. The Rangers DG had told a TV channel that criticising Rangers’ powers amounted to supporting criminals, and there were hideouts in several areas of the province, where criminals escaped after executing jobs in Karachi.

Adviser to the chief minister on information Maula Bux Chandio replied that if it was to establish peace and arrest criminals, they could go to any part of the country. “But we cannot support any move which negates the true spirit or concept of a democratic government.”

A spokesman for the Sindh government, however, said Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah told the meeting on Saturday that the safe recovery of Barrister Awais Shah, son of the chief justice of the Sindh High Court, and arrest of Amjad Sabri’s killers were big challenges for his government. Therefore, he added, the Rangers and police in coordination with other agencies should concentrate on the two cases.

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers Syed Murad Shah, Sohail Anwar Siyal, Syed Nasir Shah and special assistant Dr Qayoom Soomro.

Rangers DG Maj Gen Bilal Akbar briefed the chief minister on targeted operations and progress made in the cases of Awais Shah’s kidnapping and Amjad Sabri’s murder. The IGP told the chief minister that some arrests had been made in Sabri’s case and some important leads to reach the killers had been secured.

He added that all the law enforcement agencies were working in close coordination for Awais Shah’s safe recovery.

Mr Shah asked his special assistant on religious affairs, Dr Qayoom Soomro, to form peace committees in all districts and activate those already set up.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2016