Rangers harass DAWN sub-editor in Karachi

[Andrew Dufresne]

KARACHI, April 4:

A staffer of Dawn newspaper was detained by Rangers officials for trying to take a photograph of punishment meted out to three children outside the Rangers Headquarters on Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road here on Sunday evening.

Sub-editor Syed Hassan Ali Shah was heading to work when he saw three young boys aged between eight and 10 years being punished by three Rangers personnel holding sticks in their hands.

The scene prompted him to take a photograph. But four to five Rangers personnel, who were in a vehicle outside the headquarters, stopped his car and snatched the key of the car in the middle of the road.

For over an hour, Rangers officials kept grilling the Dawn staffer despite the fact that he had properly identified himself and accepted that he was trying to take the picture.

The Public Relations Officer of the Rangers, Major Aurengzeb, was informed about the incident and he said that the action taken by his “Jawans” was correct.

The officials took the Dawn staffer inside the Rangers Headquarters, where he was further grilled and pressurised to delete the photo. However, Hassan Ali had already told them he was not able to take the picture.

After getting assurances from the Dawn staffer that the picture would not be published they allowed him to proceed to his office.

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[rizvan]

great we have so many mafias....media ,lawyers ,doctors and now rangers long live pakistan

[Andrew Dufresne]

Who is to be approached when abuse of authority by Rangers is reported?

The abuse of authority by those in uniform is a blot on Pakistan’s human rights’ record. The police, armed forces and other civil and military law-enforcement agencies have within their ranks individuals who act above the law and, for the most part, get away with it.


Two recent incidents involving the Pakistan Rangers have highlighted the misuse of power by this paramilitary force. In the more recent episode, a Dawn staffer was detained on Sunday for trying to take a photograph of Rangers’ personnel apparently meting out corporal punishment to children outside their headquarters in Karachi. The Rangers’ troopers stopped Mr Hassan Ali Shah in the middle of the road and snatched his car keys for trying to take the picture. They grilled the journalist for over an hour although he had identified himself, and only released him upon his assurance that the photograph would not be published (although Mr Shah had told them that he had not been able to take the picture).


In an even more brazen display of misuse of authority, Rangers personnel physically assaulted a police constable in Lahore a few days ago and held him in custody. This was apparently done on the ‘orders’ of the son of the director-general Punjab Rangers.


These incidents raise several questions. What exactly is the Rangers’ role and who are they accountable to? For instance, the force in Sindh is under the joint administration of the federal interior ministry and the army’s 5 Corps. But who is to be approached when such abuse of authority is reported? Also, can the granting of ‘special’ powers like shoot-at-sight and making arrests without warrants be justified considering such incidents? The Rangers’ code of conduct urges them to protect “…peace-loving citizens with an absolutely impartial approach along with courteous and polite attitude….” Is this actually the case?


Daily Dawn Editorial
April 6, 2010
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