After much deliberations, the Ministry of Interior gave a one-year extension to Rangers stay in Sindh on Wednesday. An official source said that Ministry of Interior issued two notifications in response to the summary sent by Sindh govt to the federal govt on the matter of extending Rangers' stay in Karachi and special policing power over which the legal experts of Ministry of Interior earlier expressed reservations.
He said that Ministry of Interior has issued one notification regarding extension of Rangers stay in Sindh province for one year and another about Rangers' special policing power which is for 90 days. The official said that Ministry of Interior received on Monday a summary approved by Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah granting extension in Rangers' stay only in Karachi with special policing powers.
The legal experts of Ministry of Interior examined the summary and did not approve it on grounds that it did not meet the legal standards, he further said. He said that summary had some legal and constitutional issues as it was not issued in accordance with Article 147 of the Constitution as the notification issued under Article 174 for extension of Rangers' special powers gives the civil armed forces jurisdiction not only on Karachi but the whole of Sindh province.
The terms of special policing powers of the Sindh Rangers in Karachi under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the stay of the paramilitary force in the province in aid of civil administration and the police had expired on 19 July, 2016. Previously, the Sindh govt had extended Rangers special power in May 2016 for 77 days while the term of stay of the Rangers in the province in aid of the civil administration and police had been extended for a year in July 2015.