CLASHES between institutions are nothing new in Pakistan. But what transpired in Karachi on Friday can only be termed bizarre. As reported in this paper, Rangers’ personnel entered a police station in a highly volatile part of the city’s Orangi locality and took away a serving police officer. The ugly episode resulted in physical scuffles inside the police station as well as reported firing in the air by the Rangers. Police officials have complained that the Rangers’ troopers — some of whom were apparently in civilian dress — “beat up and misbehaved” with police personnel. Though the city’s police chief has termed the incident a “misunderstanding”, investigations are under way to determine the facts.

Primarily, this incident points to the arrogance and lack of respect for due process amongst some Rangers’ personnel. While the paramilitary force has been granted policing powers in Karachi off and on — especially in support of the ongoing operation against crime and militancy in the metropolis — this episode appears to be a misuse of these powers. If the Rangers suspected the policeman of involvement in crime and had evidence to prove this, they should have coordinated the effort with the police administration instead of giving chase to the man in a manner that would not be out of place in the Wild West. The police station in question is located in an area affected by militant activity; hence if the police had opened fire at the raiding party a major tragedy would have resulted. Storming a police station in pursuit of a suspect is unacceptable. While there are undoubtedly black sheep within the police with links to crime, they need to be identified, investigated and punished within the ambit of the law. Such reckless tactics send the message that the paramilitary force is not bound by any rules and can even violate the space of another law-enforcement body. The Rangers’ authorities must investigate the incident and discipline the personnel involved to ensure this does not set an unhealthy precedent.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2015

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