Senior provincial minister Nisar Khuhro blamed the opposition for delaying the matter. He also dared the federal government to impose governor’s rule in the province in an apparent jibe at the federal interior minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who has said that the federal government has ‘four or five options if the Sindh government doesn’t extend the Rangers’ powers.
The much-anticipated Sindh Assembly session was expected to endorse an extension in the Rangers’ special powers which lapsed on December 6. The assembly was to take up the issue as the 11th point of order on Monday’s agenda. The session started at 11:30am after a delay of 90 minutes. About two hours later, when the house was almost halfway through the agenda, the opposition, excluding the MQM, started protesting.
Slogans of “Jo dehshat gardon ka yaar hai, ghaddar hai, ghaddar hai” echoed in the house, as opposition lawmakers criticised the government for delaying discussion on Rangers’ powers.
Despite Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani’s repeated requests, the protesters continued their demonstration. When Durrani failed to control the uproar and sloganeering, he adjourned the session for a day (Tuesday).
The opposition’s protest forced Khuhro to address a press conference later. He blamed the protesting lawmakers for delaying the matter. “Tomorrow is a private members day, so the government cannot bring its business,” he said, indirectly implying the resolution on Rangers would take a few more days.
Responding to Chaudhry Nisar’s threats of imposing Governor’s Rule in Sindh, Khuhro dared the federal authorities to do so and then see what the province does in return.
The minister once again clarified the Sindh government had no intention to send back the paramilitary force.
Under the 18th Amendment, he reasoned, it is mandatory for provincial governments to ratify Rangers’ deployment under Article 147 of the Constitution before giving them special powers. “We planned to endorse their stay in Sindh but the opposition parties for their vested interest created uproar in the house,” he said.
In a brief chat with the media, Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah said the issue would be resolved ‘soon’. “We are not in a hurry as the main opposition party [MQM] is with us,” he added.
Sources stated that the issue of Rangers powers would now be resolved after a meeting between the prime minister and the chief minister planned for Thursday.
Several protest rallies were also staged in different areas of the city in favour of the Rangers. The demonstrations, which disrupted traffic of many thoroughfares, culminated at the Karachi Press Club.
After the session, all parties tried to justify their stand while speaking to the media.
Opposition leader Khawaja Izhar of the MQM held the protesting members responsible for delaying the extension in Rangers powers. “They should have waited since the resolution was on the agenda,” he said. “We would have protested if the government had not taken up the resolution.”
PML-F leader Shaharyar Mahar, who led the protesting group earlier, said the government was unnecessarily making the issue controversial. “Special powers are given through executive orders. They have been doing it for the past seven years,” he said “They are now dragging this in the assembly to protect their corrupt ministers, MPAs and bureaucrats.”
PTI’s Khurrum Sher Zaman said his party would not allow the PPP-led government to demean the paramilitary forces. “We simply demand ridding Karachi of criminals, terrorists and their financiers.”
