Daily Times

Situated on the west bank of the River Indus, Rajanpur was carved out from Dera Ghazi Khan in 1982. It is surrounded by Dera Bugti (Balochistan) in the west, Muzaffargarh (Punjab) in the east and Rahim Yar Khan (Punjab) in the south. District Kashmor (Sindh) also contours along its border in the southern region of the district. The western side is also bounded by the Sulaiman Mountain Range. The landscape of the district consists of uneven topography, which changes its colour with seasonal variation. In summers as the Indus water level rises perfect small islands are formed in the riverbed, whereon high per acre wheat production is accrued, and the locals rear their cattle on these islands for grazing purposes. These patches of high fertile lands produce natural weeds and grassy areas where wildlife also habituates.

The inhabitants of Rajanpur speak a variety of Punjabi dialect. Saraiki, a principal Punjab dialect, is the mother tongue of the region, and is spoken throughout the area including parts of Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. The language, over the years, has introduced a mixed culture of north and south Punjab in the district. During winters many isthmuses appear in the area, connecting these islands with the mainland, which remain inaccessible throughout the year except through river. The land is therefore sandwiched between the River Indus on one side, and the Sulaiman Mountain Range on the other. Rugged terrain and difficult geography make it amenable for hideouts of criminals and outlaws.

Divided into three sub-divisions and 44 union councils, the district has an irrigation system that chiefly operates through limited canals and hill torrents. Kot Mithan, the last resting place of Khawaja Ghulam Farid, is situated on the bank of the River Indus facing Chachran Sharif on the other side of the river in district Rahim Yar Khan. Known as the Faqir of Rajanpur, Khawaja Ghulam Farid is considered as one of the greatest Punjabi Sufi poets of the region. His diwan (anthology) is read with reverence in the area. His poetry carries local metaphors and symbols expressing his spiritual feelings. At times, one finds pure destitution in his lyrics, which is depicted in form of harsh weather conditions and hostile landscape to unfold agonising moments of his spiritual impoverishment. Whereas, on other occasion one discovers ultimate ecstasy expressed in shape of blooming seasons, arrival of rain and sprouting of green vegetation in arid lands that overlaps his spiritual elation and jubilation. A message of hope, love, affection, submissiveness, humanity and truthfulness is conveyed through his poetry. The faqir still stands for social fortitude and forbearance despite coarse environmental conditions and craggy attitude of tribal life.

Though 1998 census registered a population of approximately 0.5 million, however recent estimation indicates that it is well above one million mark. Nearly, 15 percent are urbanites, and remaining 85 percent are residing in rural areas of the district. Among the chief tribes of the district include Mazaris, Gorchanis, Dareshaks and Lunds. These tribes live according to their own social norms and mores. For them the principal social contract exists between their chief and the tribesmen rather than amid a citizen and the state. This makes us understand why in day-to-day matters these people give preference to words of their sardars (leader of a tribe) rather than rules of government. Tribal terms of social equilibrium are the basis of existence in this region. No avenue of tribal life can evade presence of tribal modes and cannot therefore exist in isolation. Dacoits and criminals live under the shadow of tribal sardars who in turn use them for their own benefits, and therefore, practically a win-win situation exists for both the parties. Dacoits get the shelter and refuge through tribal patronage, and sardars utilise these elements for settling their scores with other tribes. Ghulam Rasool alias Chotu, the ringleader of Chotu gang, is perhaps the product of these tribal patterns and relationships.

Ghulam Rasool, who belongs to the Baqrani tribe, was born at the Rakh Shawali district Rajanpur in a poor but criminal family. His two brothers were also involved in criminal activities in the area. Rasool Buksh, his elder brother, was killed in an encounter after having been involved in an intra-tribal brawl of Chachar and Baga Kosh tribes in district Rahim Yar Khan. Ghulam Rasool worked as a waiter in one of the highway motels in district Kashmore. In 1987, he was implicated in a theft case at the police station Bhong in Sadiqabad. Later on, he was involved in a murder case in which his elder brother killed scores of people of Baga Kosh tribe in 1988. Afterwards, Ghulam Rasool was involved in multiple criminal activities ranging from narco-trafficking to weapon smuggling and from killing police officials to kidnapping people for ransom.

This was the time when the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) was in its formative phase and many principal members of the LeJ also hailed from Dera Ghazi Khan and Muzaffargarh districts. These elements like Khalid Kajlani and Ishaq Jangwani who had sectarian leanings interacted with Ghulam Rasool for want of shelter and safety. Nearly, 102 cases were registered against Ghulam Rasool on different counts. He started building his own gang to establish a power base to support his tribal connections and to woo his enemies.

In Rajanpur, an administrative gap exists due to limited operationalisation of administrative outreach. The governance vacuum is usually filled by these gangs who then perpetuate terror and create disturbance for local administration. In early 2000, the Bosan gang used to patrol in Rahim Yar Khan district with impunity. The leader of the gang, Tariq Bosan, was tribally affiliated with Bosans. In 2005, the Bosan gang was eliminated after its top leadership was killed in police encounter in the area of Hussainabad, Rahim Yar Khan. The Bosan gang was soon replaced by Ghulam Rasool who quickly established his control over the members of the Bosan gang belonging to different areas and tribes.

Since the administrative vacuum has provided opportunity to Ghulam Rasool to emerge as a major stakeholder in the matters pertaining to the district therefore, he held a quasi-legitimate power force to settle disputes and law and order issues. With the passage of time Ghulam Rasool established his full control on one of the islands, Katchi Jamal, where he constructed cemented bunkers and harboured criminal elements. He started controlling these elements and receiving crime money on regular basis. The operations against these dacoits were initiated on the behest of administrative necessity, which could not achieve the desired result owing to ill planning and lack of proper execution.

The permanent settlement of matters relating to governance of the area requires strict administrative decision making to impact and change tribal structure for administrative control. The adjoining tribal areas of Dera Ghazi Khan (Fort Munro), Balochistan and FAT must be converted into settled areas for functional equilibrium, administrative uniformity and security stability.

The writer is a senior superintendent of police