ISLAMABAD: The federal government, on orders of the prime minister, on Friday issued a notification to form a five-member grievances redressal committee that will register and resolve concerns raised by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) related to the Rangers-led security operation in Karachi.

The notification says that the committee will hold its first session within 15 days and will “complete its work on the complaints within 90 days.”

The MQM had resigned from all legislative floors (NA, Senate and Sindh Assembly) in August to register its protest against what it termed were “excesses committed during the Rangers-led security operation in Karachi.”

The party alleges that the paramilitary force, which has been given special police powers in Sindh, is specifically targeting the MQM, forcibly detaining its activists and workers and extra judicially killing them.

Rangers, on the other hand, claim that the Karachi operation is apolitical and is aimed at eliminating heinous crimes such as target killing, extortion, china cutting, and kidnapping for ransom.

In the past year, Rangers have raided MQM headquarters in Karachi – Nine Zero – twice, arresting members of MQM’s Rabita Committee, Qamar Mansoor and Kaiful Warah.

After the party resigned from Parliament in protest, the PML-N-led federal government has been in constant efforts to push the MQM to take back its decision. In this regard, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had been tasked by the premier to hold talks with the MQM and address their grievances.

After holding several rounds of talks, the federal government had last week convinced the MQM to rejoin legislatures, conceding to the party’s major demand for the formation of a committee to address its grievances relating to the Karachi operation.