THIS is with reference to the report ‘Rangers given three months to vacate hostels in Hyderabad’ (Dec 10). Despite the restoration of civil governance long ago, such matters rarely receive attention from our parliamentarians. Our politicians, irrespective of their affiliations, prefer to toe the line and raise their voice only when their own personal interests are hurt. It is heartening that while the lawmakers looked the other way, our courts took up the case in public interest.

This is not the first time the matter of the occupation of educational institutions and other buildings by law enforcement agencies has come under discussion. The said news particularly reminded me of another report (June 25, 2009), which had quoted the then Sindh education minister as having told the assembly that 27 buildings of educational institutions in the province were under the control of law enforcement agencies.

Some of the buildings occupied are D.J. Science College hostel, Jinnah Courts and Jamia Millia College in Karachi, Muslim College and Noor Muhammad High School hostels in Hyderabad, and the Government Girls School building in Chor area of Thar.

More than a decade has passed to that assembly’s point of order, but no substantive progress has been noticed to date. Neither the Rangers vacated those buildings nor did the government provide them alternative options for accommodation. So, given the poor track record, it is unlikely that these hostels will be vacated within three months.

Besides, the presence of the paramilitary force in itself is an indication of the failure of the civil machinery and other institutions. For decades, law and order situation has remained unstable owing to which Rangers’ stay gets extension after extension. There is neither any serious plan to bring about effective police reforms nor any clear timeline for an end to Rangers deployment. So, without resolving this underlying problem, it is unlikely that the order of the Sindh High Court will be implemented in letter and in spirit.

Zulfiqar Halepoto
Hyderabad

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2022