PM orders Nisar to visit Sindh, sort out standoff on Rangers: Qaim
ISLAMABAD: Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah's visit to Islamabad to resolve the conflict with the centre over Rangers' powers in Sindh culminated with the premier directing Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali to visit Sindh to 'sort out' the outstanding issue on Rangers' powers, said Shah.
Talking to reporters after holding a meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif here, Shah said the meeting was held in a cordial environment and that all reservations of the provincial government were presented to the premier.
The chief minister insisted that the conditions placed on Rangers' powers by the Sindh government were not 'unreasonable,' adding that the DG Rangers and other officials had been instructed verbally to consult the chief minister or the chief secretary before making political arrests many times before.
Shah said Sindh had been empowered after the 18th Amendment to ratify Rangers' powers, a right it exercised through the assembly.
Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Shah agreed that no compromise will be made over the Rangers-led operation against criminals and terrorists in Karachi as it will bring peace in the city, official sources said.
Qaim called on the premier here to discuss issues related to law and order and role of Rangers in Sindh.
Sources said the premier assured Qaim that Sindh government's reservations over security issues will be addressed.
Nawaz and CM discussed the overall security situation in Sindh, Radio Pakistan reported.
No official statement regarding the meeting has been released as yet.
Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, as well as provincial ministers Murad Ali Shah and Sohail Anwar Siyyal are also in attendance at the meeting.
An official and sources on Tuesday said the prime minster had invited Qaim “most probably” in an attempt to defuse growing tensions between the centre and the province over special powers for Rangers in Karachi.
Nawaz Sharif, during a visit to Karachi on Monday, was expected to touch upon the Rangers issue with the CM but met him only briefly at the airport and left the provincial capital without formal discussion on the matter.