No pardon for past symbols of terror in Karachi: DG Rangers

Naimat Khan

KARACHI: Director General Pakistan Rangers Sindh, Major General Muhammad Saeed, has said that there will be no pardon for those who had been symbols of terror in Karachi.

He expressed these views while talking to senior journalists here in Karachi on Wednesday.

“We will not spare any anti-state actor against Pakistan. Those whose name had been symbols of terror in Karachi will never be pardoned,” DG Rangers said while pointing towards MQM supremo, Altaf Hussain, without mentioning his name.

DG Rangers claimed that the crime ratio has significantly gone down in Karachi as result of operation for the last four years. “In Karachi extortion of money of Rs100million would be demanded daily from traders and citizens in 2013 and before but this has decreased significantly now,” he said, adding that only four incidents of extortion in the whole year was one of its proofs.

“The Karachi operation has left positive impact over the law and order situation in the country. During the current years no incident of terrorism has occurred,” he further informed.

According to DG Rangers only 45 people have been killed in targeted killing in 2017, in which 15 were killed by Ansarul Sharia Pakistan, which the Rangers and police busted.

Major General Bilal Akber said that Karachi was occupying number 6 in crime index in 2013 but now it has improved and gone down to 52 number.

We have handed over 1400 criminals and dacoits to police and of them there were those who had been twice and thrice arrested in the past. Those who were arrested third and fourth time were recommended for cases under the terrorism acts.

He had said that the paramilitary force is taking every possible measure to improve the peace and security situation and the Karachi operation will continue till ‘its objectives are achieved.’

The Ministry of Interior in October this year issued a notification calling for a 90-day extension in the Ranger’s operation in Karachi on the request of the Government of Sindh.

The extension was granted under clause 1, sub-section 3, of section 4 of the Anti-terrorism Act 1997(XXVII of 1997) and stood effective from October 18.

The paramilitary force was granted certain special powers including arrests and raids when the Karachi operation started back in 2011.