New Delhi (NVI): The Pakistan Army today said that ISI and Rangers officials who were involved in Sindh IGP’s “illegal arrest” had decided to act “overzealously” while stating that the officials have now been “removed” pending further proceedings.
IGP Karachi, Mushtaq Mehar was illegally confined on Oct 18-19 night by ISI and Rangers officials after which Sindh police had carried out a virtual revolt against the Pakistan Army for humiliation meted out to its top officer.
In its statement today, the ISPR said the court of inquiry constituted to redress the grievances of the Sindh Inspector General Mushtaq Mehar has been completed on the orders of Pak Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa.
“The court of inquiry has established that on night 18/19 Oct officers from Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) and ISI headquarters Karachi were considerably seized with the fall out of desecration of Mazar-e-Qaid. They were under increasing public pressure to ensure prompt action as per the law.
“Assessing the response of police authorities against this developing yet volatile situation to be slow and wanting, in a charged environment, the concerned ISI/Rangers decided to act, rather over zealously,” it said.
“They were indeed experienced enough to have acted more prudently and could have avoided creating an unwarranted situation that led to misunderstanding between the two state institutions,” it added.
“Based on the recommendations of the Court of Inquiry, it has been decided to remove the concerned officers from their current assignments for further departmental proceedings and disposal at GHQ,” the Pakistan Army’s media affairs wing said.
Last month, the ISPR said the Army chief had taken notice of and ordered an immediate inquiry into the “Karachi incident”, a Dawn report said.
Last month, the police brass en masse, from the rank of Inspector General of Police to the level of Assistant Sub-Inspector, had announced decision to go on long leave in protest against the army’s ill-treatment, which they all said had hit the morale of the police force.
The police force was angry over the illegal confinement of IGP of Karachi Mushtaq Mehar by the personnel of paramilitary Pakistan Rangers and coercion to make him sign arrest warrant against Mohd Safdar, the son-in-law of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after a rally by opposition parties in Karachi on October 18. The Rangers are controlled by the Pakistan Army.
The protest by the police force led to panic and anxiety in Pakistan and triggered all kinds of rumours and speculations, like clashes between police and army in Karachi.
However, hours later, the Sindh Police tweeted past midnight that the decision regarding long leave had been deferred for 10 days as Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa had promised an impartial inquiry into the incident related to Mehar.
-ARK
