KARACHI, Pakistan: The Sindh Rangers arrested 4,074 suspects in 2,407 targeted operations, they conducted in various areas of Karachi in 2015, a spokesman of the Rangers said.
In a statement issued on Monday, the spokesman said that as many as 2,198 suspects which also included 887 terrorists, 268 target killers and 49 kidnappers were formally booked and handed over to police.
On December 23, the Federal Interior Ministry gave a 60-day extension in the special policing powers of Rangers in Sindh under the Anti-Terrorism Act as part of the Karachi operation against persons involved in various crimes including terrorism.
However, the issue of Sindh Rangers’ special powers has been the cause of contention between the federal government and the Sindh government for last a couple of weeks.
On December 16, the Sindh Assembly passed a resolution regarding Rangers’ stay in the province amid a strong protest from the opposition because the resolution had put conditions on special powers of paramilitary force to raid and arrest the suspects.
Later, the Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah sent a summary to the interior ministry seeking to curtail powers of Rangers deployed in Sindh. But the ministry rejected the summary, making it clear that the paramilitary force would continue to operate in the province with full powers.
