Rangers operation in Punjab

After the February 13 terrorist attack in Lahore the Punjab government has agreed, though grudgingly, to call in the Rangers but won't fully empower the paramilitary force to freely carry out an anti-terrorism operation. A committee is to decide what the Rangers can or cannot do in the PML-N-ruled province.
What they are to do is, as Punjab government spokesman Law Minister Rana Sanaullah explained in various TV talk shows, conduct joint operations alongside the police and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD). They will also be authorised to act on their own if a situation so demands as well as to conduct search operations, he said. What Rana Sahib left unsaid is that unlike the Karachi operation, the Rangers will not be authorized to arrest and indict suspects on their own. In other words, they will not have policing powers-something the Sindh government did not want to grant them either, but eventually had to give in.
The police and the CTD, of course, are best placed to identify terrorists and their facilitators, and hence should be able to lead the action against them. But the problem comes from their political bosses who won't even acknowledge the presence of violent religious extremists in the province despite evidence to the contrary. Notably, one of the TTP affiliates has been called Punjabi Taliban because they came from Punjab. Although in September 2014 Punjabi Taliban chief, Asmatullah Muawiya, announced giving up 'armed struggle' its militants may be down but are not out. Southern Punjab is also known to be the stronghold of various sectarian terrorist groups, including the most dreaded and UN proscribed Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). These outfits have a nexus with the TTP terrorists. What the other parties think of the situation finds reflection in the political consensus based National Action Plan. It singles out Punjab in calling for zero tolerance for militancy. Yet the provincial leadership has been in denial about the existence of these elements.
PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had a point when while railing against the Punjab government at a news conference on Monday, he averred that during the last four years Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif neither launched an operation himself nor let the Rangers do it. Iterating a longstanding opposition demand for a Karachi-like operation in Punjab, he added, in an interesting aside, the arrests of facilitators must be started from a minister. He is not alone in pointing the finger in the direction he did. The PPP and PTI have for long been accusing the PML-N of fraternising with violent sectarian groups. Several examples substantiate their claim. Two should suffice here. When a while ago Malik Ishaq of the banned LeJ, nominated at the time in 44 cases of terrorist attacks causing 70 deaths, was arrested (long before dying in a July 2015 police 'encounter') he was said to receive, while behind bars, a monthly stipend from the Punjab government. According to a press report, Rana Sanaullah-the minister whom Pervaiz Elahi now wants to be arrested-later confirmed money was indeed given out but to Malik's family not him, claiming that was done as per court orders. The report, however, pointed out no such order existed.
Then there is Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan's sympathetic attitude towards extremist elements. Last month, he reacted angrily to the Justice Qazi Faiz Issa Commission report on the Quetta terrorist attack - in which more than 100 people were killed - for taking exception to his meeting with the proscribed sectarian organisation, Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamat (ASWJ), leader Mohammad Ahmad Ludhianvi. When the issue came up for discussion in the Senate, the minister not only justified the meeting but also urged the irate opposition Senators to make a distinction between banned sectarian groups and 'purely' terrorist organisations- not realising that he was inadvertently admitting sectarian outfits too were involved in terrorism. He of course had no explanation to offer as to why sectarian outfits banned for killing innocent people should be treated any different from 'purely' terrorist groups.
So why would the Nawaz League be so protective of sectarian groups involved in terrorism? One reason is political considerations. Sectarian leaders support is sought and given through open participation in Nawaz League rallies in their areas of influence during election time. Second, the Interior Minister has repeatedly demonstrated (eg, his consistent defence of Lal Masjid cleric, Abuld Aziz, a self-declared supporter of the TTP as well as the IS, and the questionable meeting with ASWJ leader) that he has a soft spot for religious extremists. Given his stance on all matters related to these people, it can be assumed that his sentiments are shared by the party's higher leadership. Third, there is an external dimension to the issue. It is no secret that some friendly Gulf States patronise certain sectarian groups in aid of their own proxy war for regional influence. One reason for reluctance to crack down on sectarian groups could the worry that it would annoy 'friendly' governments.
Whatever the reason(s) for Chaudhry Nisar's desire to make a distinction between sectarian outfit and "purely" terrorist organisations, and the Punjab government's refusal to recognise the reality, it seems the moment of truth has arrived. The ruling party may not want to give the Rangers a free hand, but that can change once the operation starts. As it is, the Punjab and Sindh Rangers are federal agencies overseen by the interior ministry, but they are under the Army command. In the wake of the recent wave of terrorist attacks, Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has repeated been vowing to take indiscriminate action against terrorists of "all hues". That could mean the Rangers will try to wrest away more powers than the PML-N leadership is willing to hand them at this point in time.
saida_fazal@yahoo.com