Mati Ullah Khan
The unresolved issue of extension of Rangers’ special powers in Karachi makes the general public think that our politicians have not learnt any lesson and still continue to indulge in selfish and oppressive practices, even though it’s been a year since our innocent children rendered their lives which eventually led to the launch of a decisive and forceful operation against terrorists.
The Pakistan army and other law enforcement agencies (LEAs) succeeded to earn enough respect after they with firm resolve, belief and sacrifices caused a huge losses to terrorists and brought peace in the country to a large extent. However question mark remains on the performance and intention of politicians as the operation Zarb-e-Azb and other continuing anti-terror actions carried out by Pak army and other LEAs yielded positive results but Karachi operation in which politicians’ interests were also involved was disrupted.
The reluctance of Sindh government to extend Rangers’ powers in Karachi and unending exchange of allegations by the provincial government and the federal government against each other remind us of 90’s politics. The PPP and PML-N pretended to have become mature and learnt the lesson from past when the PTI was holding a month-long sit-in and accusing various institutions of stealing its mandate. However, political practices of PPP and PML-N seem to remain unchanged.
The extension of Rangers’ special powers in connection with the Karachi operation demands an urgent legislation if required and its solution. An unnecessary delaying of extension of powers to the paramilitary forces won’t help in the restoration of peace in the metropolis. But by taking a glance at the current situation with regard to the issue, it seems the sacrifices of over 100 children of the Peshawar Army Public School (APS) failed to soften the hearts of politicians. Their sacrifices were meant to bring all political and military leaders on a table and device a comprehensive policy to eradicate terrorism, keeping aside their personal interests and differences. But it seems, politicians require more time, efforts and sacrifices of the nation to take a right path.
