ISLAMABAD: Noting an alarming rise in the incidence of politically-motivated targeted killings in Punjab, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Sunday called for Rangers’ action in Lahore and Islamabad.

In a statement, the PTI chairman alleged that Punjab police had been reduced to “being a militant wing” of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), since it was not prepared to “provide any protection” or “move against those issuing threats” to PTI workers in Punjab.

He was referring to the alleged targeted killing of PTI worker Mirza Tanvir, who was returning from the hearing of the murder case of two PTI workers, who were killed in Lahore’s NA-119 constituency.

The PTI chairman pointed out that the murder of Barrister Fahad Malik by “a known Islamabad-based criminal mafia” signalled to criminals that they could act with impunity. He called on the capital’s police department to “reassert its professionalism”, failing which “Rangers would have to take action in the federal capital as well”.

Mushahidullah says Karachi situation can’t be compared with other cities

But PML-N Information Secretary Mushahidullah Khan shrugged off Mr Khan’s assertions, saying it seemed as if someone was whispering into the PTI chief’s ear again, and claimed that he had floated this demand without properly thinking it through.

In the statement released by his spokesperson, Imran Khan pointed out that Mirza Tanvir was the complainant in the double murder case and had been facing threats all along. “When he refused to bow down to this... pressure... he was murdered.”

Saying that the police had been reduced to “the Sharif’s Gulloo force”, he said law-enforcement agencies were fully aware of the threats against Mirza Tanvir, but they failed to provide any protection or move against those issuing the threats.

The police had shown complicity in such targeted killings, Mr Khan asserted.

He called for the Rangers to be called in Lahore immediately to act against target killers as well as the militant outfits that the Punjab government was unable or unwilling to act against.

But for Senator Mushahidullah, the PTI chairman’s remarks were “politically motivated”.

“There are so many loopholes in his statement; he is trying to compare Karachi with other cities. Thousands of people have been killed in targeted attacks there and there are several mafias operating in the city. There is China-cutting and a host of other issues that plague Karachi, so it cannot be compared with other cities,” he said.

He added that both the main political stakeholders in Sindh, the Pakistan People’s Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, had demanded that a Rangers operation be started in Karachi. In Punjab, where the PML-N was in power, no such demand had been made, he said.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2016