LAHORE: The stay of Pakistan Rangers for flushing out or eliminating militants in Punjab is going to be extended for another two months as the provincial government has already sent a request to Islamabad in this regard.

Sources in the federal interior division told Dawn that the request by the Punjab government had already been processed and an extension in the Rangers stay in the province for anti-terrorism operations would be notified before the expiry of the first two-month period on April 22.

The provincial home department officials on Tuesday said that after the notification by the interior division it would itself issue a notification regarding the extension of Rangers stay in Punjab for another 60 days.

Punjab had requested the federal government to deploy five companies of Rangers in the province for intelligence based operations (IBOs) against militants wherever required in the province with full authority two months ago. The paramilitary force was called under Section 4 of the Anti-terrorism Act.

The decision to call in Rangers to fight militants was taken at a meeting of the provincial Apex Committee which was presided over by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and attended among others by National Security Adviser retired Lt Gen Nasser Khan Janjua, Lahore Corps Commander Lt Gen Sadiq Ali and Punjab Rangers Director General Maj Gen Azhar Naveed Hayat on Sunday.

The meeting was held in the aftermath of a suicide attack at Lahore’s Charing Cross on The Mall on February 13, claiming the lives of 14 people, including DIG Capt Mubin and SSP Zahid Nawaz Gondal.

Out of the five Rangers companies, two are stationed in Dera Ghazi Khan-Rajanpur and one in Attock. DG Khan is situated at the Balochistan-Punjab-Sindh border. It has 180km rugged and porous terrain, including tribal area of Rajanpur, providing an ample chance of infiltration by militants into Punjab.

Attock borders Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Rangers are stationed there to intercept militants moving to Punjab, and to conduct combing operations, besides keeping an eye on various routes to Punjab.

The remaining two companies are on the move and conduct IBOs when required anywhere in the province.

The operations are being conducted with the active support of the Counter-terrorism Department, seeking help of regular police if required.

Rangers at the time of their deployment were given policing powers under Section 5 of the Anti-terrorism Act (ATA). All cases of terrorism are being registered with the CTD police stations. Rangers have powers to have terrorism cases registered, also having legal cover for all other actions during and after the operations.

Section 5 (1) of the ATA says any police officer, or member of the armed forces, or civil armed forces (Rangers) who is present or deployed in any area may, after giving sufficient warning, use the necessary force to prevent the commission of terrorist acts or scheduled offences. In doing so he, in the case of an officer of the armed forces or civil armed forces, shall exercise all the powers of a police officer under the Code (CrPC 1898).

“In particular and without prejudice to generality of the provisions of subsection, an officer of the police, armed forces and civil armed forces may, after giving prior warning use such force as may be deemed necessary or appropriate bearing in mind all the facts and circumstances of the situation, against any person who is committing a terrorist act or a scheduled offence.

It shall be lawful for any such officer or any superior officer to fire or order the firing upon any person or persons against whom he is authorised to use force. This they will do while arresting without warrant any person who has committed an act of terrorism or a scheduled offence or is suspected of any such act.

“He also has such powers for entering and searching, without warrant, any premises to make any arrest or to take possession of any property, fire-arm, weapon or article used, or likely to be used for any offence of terrorism,” it says.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2017