KARACHI: The differences between the Sindh government and the Rangers have not been sorted out yet and the provincial government is mulling a protest movement against the federal government as well as the paramilitary force, sources told Daily Times on Friday.
Rumours about a reshuffle in the Sindh cabinet are also circulating in the media. On Friday, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and some members of his cabinet gave PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari a briefing about the possible protest movement against the actions of the federal government and the Sindh Rangers before the latter left for Dubai.
Zardari has rejected the results of the Azad Kashmir general elections and accused the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of vote rigging.
Earlier, the PPP leadership directed the Sindh government to sort out its differences with the Rangers. In this connection, a meeting between Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Karachi Corps Commander Lt-Gen Naveed Mukhtar was held in Karachi where they discussed issues relating to the targeted operation in Karachi, law and order situation in the province, implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) and extension of Rangers’ special powers in Sindh.
Sources told Daily Times that the meeting between Shah and Mukhtar at Chief Minister’s House continued for more than one-and-a-half hours in a pleasant atmosphere. Senior Minister for Finance Murad Ali Shah, Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal and Adviser to the Chief Minister on Law Murtaza Wahab were also present in the meeting. At the meeting, the Sindh chief minister and members of his cabinet voiced their concerns about Rangers’ actions in Karachi. The Sindh chief minister however told the Karachi corps commander that the issue of extension of Rangers’ special powers would be sorted out soon, as he was consulting his party leadership on it.
Shah said that his government was committed to eradicating terrorism-related activities such as targeted killings, extortion and kidnapping for ransom from the province. “I appreciate law enforcement agencies’ role, particularly police and the Rangers’, in restoration of peace in the city,” he said. He thanked the Karachi corps commander for his keen interest in implementation of the National Action Plan.