The federal interior ministry and the Sindh government asked the Rangers in Karachi to increase their manpower and authorised them to shoot on sight anyone involved in violence.
Thirty-four people were killed and more than 130 wounded in the city's worst political street violence in two decades, sparked when the chief justice flew in to address a lawyers’ convention at the Sindh High Court.
“The Rangers have got extra powers of shoot at sight and arrest in case of riots and violence,” Major-General Javed Zia of the Rangers told the AFP news agency.
Federal Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said the government had ordered extra troops into troubled areas to restore order. “We have sent more contingents of paramilitary troops for deployment in affected areas of Karachi. The paramilitary rangers had been authorised to shoot trouble-makers at sight,” Sherpao told AFP.
Analysts looked upon the move to empower the Rangers as an acknowledgment by the government of its failure to chalk out a contingency plan aimed at containing violence and averting a clash between activists of rival political parties on Saturday.
At least 8,000 police personnel, as well as an equal number of Rangers, were on duty on Saturday.
Criminal law experts wondered under what law the government placed at the disposal of the Rangers additional powers. They pointed out that under the Police Order 2002 the police could open fire on a violent mob only at the orders of a judicial magistrate.
“The life of a person is a most precious thing. It cannot be taken away without the due process of law. Orders to shoot at sight appear good during a martial-law regime but under civilian governments such orders are not only harsh but in conflict with fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution,” senior advocate Khawaja Naveed told Dawn.
He said as the constitution was in force, such orders could invite a suo motu notice by the chief justice of the Sindh High Court.