KARACHI CHRONICLE: Does Karachi need Rangers?

A young civilian was shot by a Ranger in a public park and allowed to bleed to death while the killer and his colleagues watched. This was Wednesday 8 June. Soon after the incident a spokesmen for the Sindh Rangers said 25-years-old Sarfaraz Shah was killed after an "encounter" with Rangers personnel deployed outside the Benazir Shaheed Park near Boat Basin after he was "caught red-handed" while snatching cash and valuables from park visitors.
However, this dastardly lie, which is always trotted out by Rangers spokesmen in defence of acts of violence and murder committed by Rangers personnel, was exposed in TV footage of the incident. Lies. How often have Karachiites been fed this same lie by Sindh Rangers? They have got away with it simply because there was no proof. This has been the case especially in Lyari's gangland. The people of Lyari have often protested about the cold-blood killing of innocent citizens of the area on the pretext that they were gangsters, thieves and terrorists.
With the TV footage exposure of the true ugly face of Rangers, hundreds of Lyari residents staged a sit-in on Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road (off I.I. Chundrigar Road) in front of the so-called "temporary" headquarters of Sindh Rangers. In short, they have no intention of every leaving. Their attitude in the case of their so-called temporary headquarters tacitly illustrates their attitude towards Karachi and civilians. Ostensibly they are here to protect the civilians from terrorists. That is a big joke. Their orders are to protect themselves and shoot anyone from whom they feel a threat. Furthermore, they have the sanction from the civilian government to shoot to kill any suspect in Karachi.
There is no citizen of this city who thinks the presence of Rangers has improved the security and law and order in the city. Rangers were introduced on the pretext that there is insufficient Police force. But the fact remains that Rangers are soldiers, a paramilitary force, and like all armed forces think they are above the civilian law. They are here is not because of shortage of police personnel. Even if there was no shortage they would still be retained on one pretext or another. The real reason is that they represent military presence and military power. Elected government are forced to retain them because the majority of the land in the city is owned by the armed forces. It is said only 30 percent of Karachi is controlled by the City District Government Karachi.
Another real reason for Rangers presence in the city is the old mutual support of feudals and armed forces. Cantonments are places which do not respect civilian codes. In Karachi, development plans (in particular the plan for 2020 project) have more or less aborted because at every turn the civilian developers face hurdles from the cantonment stakeholders.
In the second half of the 19th century, it was the feudals who facilitated the colonial troops. It forged a corporation between the feduals and armed forces which is in place even today. The only change is that the forces are all Pakistani, and the feudals have become politicians. In Sindh political feudalism is strong in the province except in Karachi. Hence it is vital for the incumbent civilian government to have support of their cronies in the armed forces to control Karachi. It is Sindh's chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah who approved of the shoot-to-kill order given to the Sindh Rangers earlier this year.
It is only because of the TV footage exposure of the Sindh Rangers that the civilian government has questioned the power or activity of Rangers in Karachi. Even in Lyari, which is a PPP-stronghold, the party has been losing its power to other political parties who have won over large numbers of Lyarites previously loyal to PPP. This is the reason why Rangers have been accused of gunning down Lyari people on the pretext that they are gangsters or terrorists. A sit-in staged by Lyari residents following the TV footage showing the murder of an innocent civilian on June 8 is a case in point. He was not a Lyari resident but the people of Lyari felt this also proved the Rangers' activity in their locality is exactly like the killing of Sarfaraz Shah. They have now demanded an inquiry into the killing of Shariful Haq and Baba Ismail killed in an 'encounter' by Rangers.
Of course, there will be no inquiry in those cases. And what would be the purpose of an inquiry? Inquiries are the most bogus things. They are merely a tactic to delay prosecution and appease the public. The matter goes into cold storage once the public anger blows over. This is the reason why governments and armed forces when in hot waters offer to hold inquiries. They love inquiries. They even proposed one in the case of the murder of Sarfaraz Shah when it was plain to see this was an open and shut case and the culprits, the killer and other Rangers with him, should be punished forthwith. Even the adviser to the prime minister on human rights has described the incident as an open and shut case.
The killing in Karachi came in the wake of killing of five Chechens approaching the Frontier Corps checkpost who were gunned down in Kharotabad, Quetta. Some people have suggested that the Sindh Rangers do not understand the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). The fact is that they do not need to, they have their own code which is to shoot to kill.