KARACHI, Nov 30: The Awami National Party (ANP), Sindh chapter, has contested the Rangers claim that the crackdown launched on Friday night in certain areas was against criminal elements.

An ANP spokesman, Qadir Khan, commenting on the statement by Rangers spokesman Maj Farooq Bilal, said on Tuesday that only ANP workers and Pakhtuns were being picked up in the operation and there was no person from any other ethnic community among those arrested during the action.

He recalled that the ANP had always supported granting of additional powers to the Rangers for launching operations against criminal elements and it had always been asking people to fully cooperate with the law-enforcement agency. However, he regretted, Pakhtuns were now losing confidence in this agency “because of some Rangers officers.”

Mr Khan alleged that some Rangers officers had sabotaged ANP efforts for peace in the city, and urged the government to take action against the responsible officers in order to restore people's confidence.

The ANP spokesman claimed that as many as 750 office-bearers and workers of the party had been arrested in the city and this had spread fear among the Pakhtun people.

He demanded that all 'no-go' areas in the city be reopened to every citizen irrespective of his ethnic connection or political affiliation and Karachi should be handed over to the army for the recovery of all legal and illegal arms.

He also demanded an end to the “operation in Pakhtun localities”.

Referring to the recent arrest of some alleged criminals apparently leading to the Friday crackdown, Mr Khan said that not a single ANP activist was found involved in any crime.—PPI

Meanwhile, acting president of the Sindh ANP Haji Asmatullah Mehsood chaired a meeting at the party's provincial headquarter on Tuesday and expressed confidence in the inquiry committee constituted by Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Federal Interior Minister Rehman A. Malik to determine the causes leading to the recent operation in selected areas of Karachi, our staff reporter adds.

Haji Mehsood, however, condemned that “hundreds of ANP activists and workers had been kept in custody by Rangers for three days although there was no evidence of their involvement in any illegal activity”. They were freed after three days, he added.

So far as the FIR registered by the Sultanabad police was concerned, the suspects namely Zainul Abedin, Subhan, Imran and Z. Gul, were not affiliated with the ANP as had already been notified by the party, he said.