KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Friday directed the provincial authorities to file a report within a week about special powers being enjoyed by the Sindh Rangers.

A two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh also directed the official concerned of the paramilitary force to file a report regarding the vehicle of petitioner Mohammad Azam, who said that it was in the custody of Rangers.

The bench asked under which law the paramilitary force had been empowered to stop and seize vehicles of citizens.

A provincial law officer submitted that besides pol­ice, other law enforcement agencies had been given policing powers under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

Subsequently, the bench questioned whether such veh­icles, said to be in poss­ession of Rangers, were used in incidents of terrorism.

Citing the director general of Rangers and comm­ander of the North Nazim­abad wing as respondents, the petitioner stated that he was a dairy farmer. He went to his native village in Punjab and upon his returned he came to know that his two employees and his car were missing.

He submitted that he app­roached the police station concerned and police and his personal sources inf­ormed him that his car was in the possession of respondents at Rangers Wing 35 located at North Nazimabad.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2023