ISLAMABAD - The federal government on Tuesday offered the Punjab to provide the services of Rangers, a paramilitary force working under the control of Interior Ministry, for deployment in the province to help the provincial government control the massive power riots.
The offer to assist the Punjab Police was made in a letter written by Interior Secretary KM Siddique Akbar on the directives of Rehman Malik, now a former advisor to the prime minister on interior.
The federal secretary in the letter has said that the Punjab government had failed to protect the life and property of the people as violent protests against loadshedding were being held throughout the province.
“During the rioting, the innocent people are being killed and the public as well as private property is being damaged,” the letter adds.
It has also been alleged in the letter that Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif was acting in violation the Constitution by instigating the masses to protest against power outages any by leading the sponsored mobs, as it advises that the sponsored agitation and violence in Punjab should come to an end.
The letter also says Shahbaz Sharif is creating anarchy to divert the attention from money laundering case of $32 million.
Rehman had directed the interior secretary to meet the Punjab chief secretary to discuss deployment of Rangers. According to the law, Rangers can only be deployed in any province on the requisition of the provincial government concerned; therefore, it is the Punjab government which is required to ask for services of the Rangers.
It is worth noting that the people are targeting the residences of the lawmakers associated with the ruling coalition in the Centre. Around five people have been killed in Khanewal and Kamalia after the personal guards of the PML-Q MNAs opened fire on the protesters. Similar incidents, although it did not prove deadly, were repeated in Narowal, Chichawatni and other towns when angry mob attacked the PPP lawmakers.
Earlier on Monday, Rehman Malik had warned that an FIR would be registered against Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in case of a mishap with any PPP legislator in Punjab.
He said the Punjab government had totally failed to provide protection.
Malik added that Shahbaz was responsible for sponsored disorder, and instead of adopting preventive measures, he was putting the lives of political opponents at risk just to gain political mileage.