KARACHI, June 27: The Rangers’ withdrawal from the Mazar-i-Quaid, hardly a week after their deputation in line with the revised security plan, came as a surprise to the provincial authorities as they had no information about this unilateral move.

According to sources, following the directives from the Sindh government, the paramilitary troops were deployed at the Quaid’s mausoleum in the first week of June but for reasons best known to the Rangers, the troops remained deployed for only eight days.

Interestingly, the provincial authorities came to know about the troops’ withdrawal only on June 10, they said.

It would be pertinent to mention that the Sindh home ministry’s decision to deploy Rangers’ personnel at the mausoleum came following a request made by the Quaid-i-Azam Mazar Management Board.

“The Rangers agreed but sent only 20 men to support the existing security staff at the mausoleum,” said a source in the provincial home ministry.

However, he added, all of them were later withdrawn saying that the federal interior ministry had allowed the troops to move back.

He said that the provincial ministry, which had actually asked for the deployment of the Rangers personnel at the Mazar, was supposed to be informed about the move but that did not happen.

“The deployment of the Rangers at the mausoleum was part of a security plan devised after a girl visiting the place with her family was allegedly raped by the Mazar’s security staff,” he said.

The federal ministry of the environment, which was originally supposed to regulate the Mazar-i-Quaid’s affairs, had later asked for a revised plan under a dedicated security force only for the mausoleum.

“By the time the plan got finalised, it was decided that the Rangers, along with the existing security staff, would take care of the security issues at the Mazar,” added the source citing details of the correspondences between the institutions concerned.

The Sindh government took the Rangers onboard in line with the revised security plan for the mausoleum and subsequently, 20 men of the paramilitary force were deputed to assist the existing security staff.

A senior official of the Sindh government said that the services of the Rangers were acquired on a temporary basis. It had been planned that as soon as the new security plan was in place, the Rangers personnel would be sent back, he said.

“We expect the plan to be in place within a month,” said the official. “In the plan, there is a provision to acquire the services of a dedicated force to be assisted by the city police.”

He confirmed that the troops, which were deployed till further directives, moved back without informing the provincial government that commanded the Rangers’ operations in Sindh’s urban and rural areas for security purposes.

“When the Ranger’s high-ups were asked about such an unexpected move, that too without informing the relevant authorities, they said that they had talked to the authorities in Islamabad and the federal ministry had allowed the withdrawal of the troops from the Quaid’s mausoleum,” he said.

However, the official said, if the Quaid-i-Azam Mazar Management Board again requested for the deployment of the Rangers, it would be ensured that the troops remained as long as they were required at the Mazar.

“The board, in its recent meeting, approved a budget of Rs63.224 million for repair and security of the mausoleum and also expressed its desire to deploy the Rangers’ personnel,” he added.

The Quaid-i-Azam Mazar Management Board earlier this week allocated Rs30.661 million for repair and maintenance of the mausoleum and its allied installation. It also decided that Rs20.462 million would be spent on the salaries and other recurring expenditures, while an amount of Rs11.85 million had been earmarked for operational expenditures of the Mazar.

“Even the Mazar’s management is in the dark about the withdrawal of the troops, as during the meeting the board decided that the issue would be taken up with the interior ministry and the Sindh government,” added the official.