KARACHI, Jan 18: Paramilitary Rangers launched a crackdown in parts of Orangi Town on Tuesday and conducted a house-to-house search that led to the detention of over 300 people.

The crackdown in the neighbourhood came after a week of targeted killings that left more than 30 people dead in the city.

A heavy contingent of the Rangers arrived at Orangi Town on Tuesday morning to launch the crackdown against those involved in violence and incidents of targeted killings. The Rangers cordoned off Baloch Para, Faqeer Colony, Mominabad and Muscat Colony, restricted the movement of residents and conducted house-to-house searches, which continued for about eight hours.

The media was not given access to the areas where the paramilitary troops were conducting their operation. The Rangers did not disclose the exact number of the suspects taken into custody. They did not give any information to the media about the arms and ammunition that might have been seized in the operation.

A spokesman for the Rangers refused to share any details of the crackdown. The investigations were under way and it would be too early to come up with any fact at this point of time, was his response to a question.

The situation became even more ambiguous when the police authorities showed their ignorance about the purpose and the results of the crackdown.

“It was solely the Rangers operation,” said Capital City Police Officer Fayyaz Leghari. “The police did not assist them [Rangers]…we were not in the loop. We only provided armoured personnel carriers and other vehicles on the request of the Rangers authorities.”

Sources said that the Rangers, after cordoning off the areas, went from house to house and asked the residents, mostly youngsters, to prove their identities. They took those into custody who appeared suspicious or failed to show any identification document.

“More than 1,000 personnel took part in the operation,” said a security official. “A large number of the detainees were released after an initial investigation but there are some suspects who are being screened. Only thorough investigations will determine their fate.”

During the Rangers operation, the area people were not allowed to leave their houses while students in the neighbourhood could not attend their regular classes. Markets and businesses in the affected parts of Orangi Town remained closed as traders preferred to take a day off even after the departure of the paramilitary troops.

Recently, Interior Minister Rehman Malik announced that a 'partial curfew' in selected localities of the city would be imposed to weed out terrorists and those involved in the incidents of targeted killings.

The Orangi Town crackdown emerged as the first such action on these lines, but it only highlighted a disconnection between the paramilitary Rangers and the police as well as the provincial administration. It appears that except for the Rangers, nobody in the provincial government knew about the aims and objectives of the crackdown or was provided with any information in this regard by the authorities of the paramilitary force.

Sharfuddin Memon, a home department adviser, told Dawn that people who had any complaints against the law-enforcement agencies, Rangers included, could approach the home minister's complaint cell.