ISLAMABAD - The Senate Standing Committee on Interior was informed on Monday that security forces have destroyed network of outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in Karachi and TTP was finding hard to regroup there, however its presence in the city could not be ruled out.
The committee meeting that was held under the chair of Senator Talha Mahmood, after the briefing of Rangers on the ongoing targeted operation in Karachi, directed that the operation in the metropolitan city should continue till the elimination of criminals but without discrimination on political, ethnic, linguistic and provincial bases. The committee said if a worker of any political party would be arrested in that operation, the details should be provided to the office-bearers of the party concerned.
Colonel Tahir Mehmood of Rangers submitted a report to the committee with the details of ongoing operation against criminal elements in Karachi. The meeting had been summoned for review of the Karachi operation and for a briefing on a recent incident of raid of Rangers on an MQM office in Karachi where some suspected persons had been arrested.
The committee was informed that criminals arrested during the operation also allegedly belonged to some political parties including Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the banned People’s Amn Committee and Awami National Party (ANP), besides other banned outfits including TTP.
Colonel Tahir Mehmood of the Sindh Rangers told the chair that 6853 suspected criminals had been arrested in the city during 3696 operations. The meeting was told that 373 raids had been conducted on the suspected affiliated with MQM and 560 alleged criminals were arrested during these raids, 396 raids were conducted on the suspects affiliated with People’s Amn Committee and 539 accused were arrested while 18 raids were made on the criminals associated with ANP and 40 accused were arrested during the raids.
Similarly, the meeting was informed that 403 raids had been conduced to arrest terrorists of TTP and 760 criminal had been arrested during the raids besides 159 raids had been conducted for the arrests of criminals belonging other banned outfits and 352 accused had been nabbed. Rangers official informed that 2347 raids had been conduced besides this and 4589 accused had been arrested during these raids.
Col Tahir told the meeting that in 146 encounters with the criminals, 13 alleged criminals of TTP had been killed and33 had been arrested while 12 Rangers official embraced martyrdom and 44 injured during such encounters.
Briefing the committee about what transpired on the night of September 24 when Rangers raided MQM office located in Gulshan-e-Maymar, Col Mehmood said the security officials went inside party office after their patrol was fired at.
Col Tahir said hat 23 suspects had been arrested during the raid and out of these 12 persons had been handed over to MQM leadership including Dr Sagheer and Faisal Sabazwari. He said that among these, 3 accused had been found involved in heinous crimes and target killings and these were also part of the list of 143 people provided to the Governor Sindh. “A joint investigation team is investigating the matter,” he said adding that 8 arrested people were pro-claimed offenders who had been handed over to police.
Speaking about targets achieved in Lyari, the Rangers official said incidents of kidnapping and extortion have reduced by 55 percent since the beginning of the operation. He said the law and order situation improved in the area as Rangers have set up pickets there.
Senator Sahi Syed of ANP said that Karachi operation had been started a year back but it could not yield any positive results. Senator Tahir Mashhadi alleged that Rangers was involved in water theft in Karachi. Colonel Tahir denied the allegation and said Karachi Water Board had given the force responsibility for safe transportation of water to the citizens. Mashhadi also questioned if some people had fired from the office where raid was conducted how it was possible that they after firing started a meeting. “As meeting was going on in the office when raid was conducted,” he added.