NewsDec 31 , 2015
PM says I was and I remain captain of operation: Qaim
Sindh CM says Centre ought to accept their view on Rangers’ powers or it has to accept it after 60 days end
ISLAMABAD: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had assured him that he was the captain of the Karachi operation and would continue to lead the initiative against the terrorists in the same capacity. Qaim Ali Shah said this after his meeting with the premier. Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Minister for Finance Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Secretary to the PM Fawad Hasan Fawad, Sindh ministers Murad Ali Shah and Sohail Anwar Sial were also present in the meeting.
Qaim said that the Centre should accept their demand now which it had to do so after 60 days. He was talking with reference to the powers given to the Rangers by the federal government for 60 days.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah agreed to continue the Karachi operation jointly and to amicably resolve the differences between the federal and provincial governments.
It had been decided that the notification issued by the Interior Ministry pertaining to the exclusive powers for the Rangers in Karachi operation wouldn’t be amended or withdrawn as the apprehensions of the Sindh government had been noted by the federal government and the same would be addressed accordingly.
The meeting lasted for more than one-and-a-half hours. Talking to The News later, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif termed it a good meeting without offering specifications.
The sources told this scribe that the prime minister was said to have carefully listened to the submissions made by the visiting delegation. The federal government reminded the Sindh administration that it had provided Rs25 billion to the Sindh government so far in terms of expenditure incurred on the Karachi operation.
The sources said that no leniency would be offered in the case of Dr Asim Hussain despite the chief minister’s meeting with the prime minister who entrusted Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to address the grievances of the Sindh administration, if possible under the ambit of the Constitution and law, the sources added.
Addressing the media after his meeting with the prime minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah said that the discussion was held in a cordial atmosphere as the PM’s response was positive and he carefully listened to the concerns of the Sindh government.
He said that the prime minister directed Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar to visit Karachi within a week and sort out concerns of the Sindh government. He pointed out that the Sindh government had called the services of Rangers as per Article 147 of the Constitution, which allows the paramilitary force to act against terrorism, target killings, kidnappings for ransom and extortion.
The Sindh chief minister maintained that the subject of corruption was a provincial matter which was being dealt with by the provincial anti-corruption establishment, adding the same had been conveyed to the prime minister.
Shah also claimed that Karachi had become relatively peaceful because of the operation which commenced two-and-a-half years ago with complete political consensus.
Responding to a query, Shah claimed that Asif Zardari could come back to Pakistan anytime as there were no pending cases against him. “Asif Zardari is abroad due to his illness and he will come back to the country anytime,” he said.
The chief minister insisted that the conditions placed on the Rangers’ powers by the Sindh government were not ‘unreasonable,’ adding that the DG Rangers and other officials had been instructed verbally to consult the chief minister or the chief secretary before making political arrests many times before. Shah said Sindh had been empowered after the 18th Amendment to ratify the Rangers’ powers, a right it exercised through the assembly.
Earlier, official sources said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Qaim Shah agreed that no compromise would be made on the Rangers-led operation against criminals and terrorists in Karachi which would bring peace in the city. The sources said the prime minister assured Qaim that the Sindh government’s reservations over the security issues would be addressed.
Courtesy www.thenews.com.pk
Back to Pakistanlink Home