KARACHI: The provincial government is not reluctant to extend the special policing powers of Rangers in Karachi, but is just trying to fulfil the constitutional requirement by getting it approved through Sindh Assembly, the adviser to Sindh chief minister on information Maula Bux Chandio said on Saturday.
“We value our Assembly and will abide by it,” Chandio said while responding to the allegations levelled by Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan, who had accused the Sindh government of “maligning the federal government and Rangers”.
The PPP leader was addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, shortly after the press conference held by Chaudhary Nisar in Islamabad in which the latter blamed the Sindh government for trying to “detrack the Karachi operation to save just one man (Dr Asim Hussain)”.
“We don’t want anyone to make the Karachi operation look controversial. It will achieve its set targets and peace will return to Karachi,” he said.
Both Rangers and police have rendered great sacrifices during the Karachi operation, and we will not let this go in vain, said the PPP leader. “But sadly some people are trying to achieve personal benefits from this operation.”
Chandio said that PPP has always followed democratic norms and will continue to do so in future. “However, there are certain people who are not comfortable with the succession of democracy,” he added.
Nisar had asked the provincial government to change tactics or else threatened to make public a “confidential joint investigation report, Dr Asim Hussain’s video, and other reports by the FIA and NAB so that the public can decide for itself who is trying to hide what.”
On this the PPP leader said that his party is not afraid of anything and “now that you have started to threaten Sindh and its people, we are bound to respond in a befitting manner”.
He maintained that the provincial government was fully committed to restore rule of law in the province, particularly Karachi which was the economic hub of the country.
"Sindh government had complete confidence in Rangers, army and other national institutions," Chandio said.
The senior PPP leader expressed hope that the issue of extending Rangers’ powers in Sindh will be resolved by Monday after consultations between the paramilitary force and the provincial government.
This recent exchange of statements points towards the differences between the federal and Sindh governments over extending the paramilitary force's mandate.
