Daily Times

If there is one abiding characteristic of the Rangers-led operation in Karachi, it is that seldom are things clear and often not what they seem at first glance. The Rangers announced on January 30 that they had arrested Uzair Baloch, the People’s Amn Committee (PAC) of Lyari’s chief, while trying to enter Karachi late on the night of January 29. Yet when they presented him before an anti-terrorism court, the story changed to the arrest having taken place within the remit of the Chakiwara police station, an area that lies in the heart of Lyari and certainly not on the outskirts of the city, as was initially put out. The court acceded to the Rangers’ plea for handing over Uzair on a 90-day remand for interrogation and also allowed the formation of a joint investigation committee to probe the case. Police and Rangers are on high alert and have enhanced patrolling in Lyari to pre-empt any reaction to the announcement of Uzair Baloch’s arrest. The whole affair is murky. Consider the known facts. Uzair was arrested in Dubai by Interpol in December 2014, ostensibly while crossing into the UAE from Oman by road, the Pakistani consulate in Dubai confirmed at the time. A four-member special police team stayed in Dubai for a month to obtain custody of Uzair, but eventually returned empty-handed in March 2015. Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah in August 2015 denied any association with Uzair and expressed ignorance about his status. It is not clear when and how Uzair arrived in Pakistan from Dubai. Once known for his loyalty to the PPP and close contacts with the party’s leadership, Uzair took over as the leader of the PAC in August 2009 after Abdul Rahman Baloch, known as Rahman Dakait, was killed in a police ‘encounter’ one year after the PPP came to power. While the PAC has always been presented by its leaders as a community group, it is blamed by the police and political rivals of the PPP for criminal activities such as killings, extortion, drugs, etc. The PAC was banned in October 2011. Uzair Baloch’s relations with the PPP are said to have soured after the hastily put together April 2012 Lyari operation, said to be the consequence of a falling out of Uzair with Asif Ali Zardari’s brother Owais Muzaffar. The two-week ‘siege’ of Lyari by the police ended without any major arrest but left a number of people, including policemen, dead. The growing rift between the PAC and PPP nevertheless did not prevent the latter from accepting Uzair Baloch’s demand that candidates for the general elections 2013 be selected from his cadres, a recognition of his continuing hold over Lyari. But all was still not smooth sailing as soon after, the PPP announced head money for Uzair Baloch of Rs two million, only to withdraw it one month before the May 2013 general elections as once more recognition of his grip on Lyari. Finally, differences within PAC and the widening gulf with the PPP forced Uzair to leave Pakistan.

This story full of twists and turns is dizzying enough. But to add to the murkiness of events and the manner they are now being presented, two factors need to be taken note of. The first is that Uzair Baloch’s family says he has been in Pakistan’s custody for over a year. The second, to be read in conjunction with the first, is that the ‘announcement’ of the arrest of Uzair Baloch at this time is related to the recent issue of the Rangers’ powers in the Karachi operation, i.e. it is a tactic to exert pressure on the PPP Sindh government since the 60-day extension in the Rangers’ mandate expires on February 5. The people of Pakistan deserve better than this. Unless the facts are brought out fairly and squarely and the public truthfully informed of the real situation, this obfuscation and manipulation is likely to reinforce opposition to the arbitrary and beyond granted mandate operations by the Rangers. *