DG Rangers Sindh changed

Mateen Haider Published July 13, 2014

ISLAMABAD: In a surprise move late Saturday night, the military said it was replacing DG Rangers Sindh Major General Rizwan Akhtar with another senior military officer.

A spokesman for the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Major General Bilal Akbar has been designated as the next director-general of the Sindh Rangers paramilitary force.

“Major General Bilal will join the Sindh Rangers in August and will have an overlap of one month before taking over charge as DG Rangers,” said a short statement from the ISPR.

The ISPR spokesman said Akhtar, who has successfully completed his tenure, will continue to perform his duties as DG Rangers until Maj-Gen Bilal Akbar takes over.

The decision by the military headquarters comes at a time when a joint operation by police and Rangers against terrorists and criminal elements in Karachi is in full swing.

The city’s largest party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), has raised serious reservations against the operation in which, they say, dozens of MQM workers and sympathisers have fallen victim to extrajudicial killings.

On Friday, Karachi Corps Commander Lt-Gen Sajjad Ghani listened to MQM chief Altaf Hussain’s grievances over phone and assured him a committee would investigate the party’s complaints against the operation.

The MQM chief had earlier said he would write an open letter to Chief of the Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif about the “extrajudicial killings of Urdu-speaking innocent workers of the MQM by Rangers, their arrests and torture” during the Karachi operation.

Also read: Muttahida’s complaints to be looked into, says general

An MQM source told Dawn that Hussain decided not to write the letter after the Karachi corps commander assured him that “action would be taken against any officer of the paramilitary Rangers found involved in any illegal act.”

The joint operation has been the subject of much criticism. According to police statistics, 1,685 people have fallen victim to targeted killings in the city since the start of the operation.

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A concerned citizen of KHI

Jul 13, 2014 03:39am

I think the military should also ask all political parties to come on board in this regard. If they can be on board with the military in NWA operation, then why not in KHI operation? Some parties who are responsible for the terror should be disqualified regardless of their street strength. If there is a political will, KHI problem can be resolved. after all, as reported by Dawn, target killings were down in the first few months of the operation and went up again after political parties started to dissent.

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Jul 13, 2014 04:07am

A rally, a phone call and a change what all that? M.G Rizawn is a happy man, see his video clips when KARACHI AIR PORT came under attack.

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Fiz

Jul 13, 2014 04:26am

What's going on? IG changed numerous times and now DG Rangers also been changed. Do the authorities want to tackle Karachi situation or not?

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Jul 13, 2014 04:48am

Is that important news on front page and on top line?

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Shuaib Bhat

Jul 13, 2014 05:21am

My question is how does a foreign national have any say in what goes on in our country?

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imran ali

Jul 13, 2014 05:23am

this is a good move.. Rizwan Akhtar is a biased and controversial figure

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khuma

Jul 13, 2014 06:30am

This is a routine transfer posting of defence official which should viewed as such. There seems no abnormality as reported and covered by the daily.

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Atta

Jul 13, 2014 06:55am

This is news?

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Norozkhan

Jul 13, 2014 08:01am

I am glad Major General Rizwan Akhtar is replaced by another general. General Rizwan Akhtar became too friendly with Sherjeel memon and Durrani of PPP and lots of questions were raised by the Courts and some politicians in recent months.

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Khan

Jul 13, 2014 08:25am

And we worry about Palestine when in Pakistan innocent citizens are killed and tortured in Sindh and Balochistan due to ethnicity and their resources taken away by federal Govt

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khanm

Jul 13, 2014 10:07am

if we are going to replace an inefficient ones with the efficient ones the move is welcomed. some thing is wrong the correct news is not out. It seems like political motivated.

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sabeeh omer

Jul 13, 2014 10:31am

We need someone who can rightly be called an "iron man" to tackle the lawlessness in Karachi. It is no open secret that most if not all the terrorists are harbored by the political parties the PPP, MQM and the ANP. The new DG Rangers should report directly to the COAS and not the corrupt and inefficient government of Sind. Maj General Rizwan Akhter's performance with regard to the Karachi Operation was nothing less than pitiful.

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Navaid

Jul 13, 2014 10:46am

@Shuaib Bhat Because that foreign national is probably more powerful than the Prime Minister or any other leader in Pakistan. That foreign national has enough street muscle to take on the entire Pakistan army face to face. That foreign national has enough influence, that if he orders the closure of all business activities in urban Sindh for 3 weeks straight, Pakistan will become a failed state due to economic collapse. That foreign national has workers and supporters not only in Pakistan, but at very powerful positions throughout the world. Think before you speak.................

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tnemeganam

Jul 13, 2014 12:41pm

@sabeeh omer what about the good talibans from KP and Punjab operating in the city.

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