Karachi Abuzz With 'Civil War' Rumours After Reports of Pak Rangers Abducting Police Chief; Army Orders Probe

[Spartan]

Pakistan's army chief has ordered an investigation into allegations that Sindh police chief was kidnapped by army troops to force him to order the arrest of the son-in-law of exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

In a statement, the military said army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa ordered the military commander in the port city of Karachi to begin a probe into the accusation.

 

Unconfirmed information posted by The International Herald on Twitter said a “civil war” had broken out in Karachi after Sindh Police and Pakistan Army exchanged fire. It further reported that 10 Karachi police officers had died in the clashes. But Pakistan’s leading newspapers Dawn carried no such reports.

The development comes a day after Sharif's son-in-law, Mohammad Safdar, was briefly arrested after opposition parties held a rally protesting the administration of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

 

Safdar was freed after a court granted him bail, but controversy ensued amid allegations that he was arrested by paramilitary Rangers after they pressured provincial chief Mushtaq Mehar to sign orders for Safdar's arrest.

Neither the Rangers nor Khan have commented, but some police officers, angered over Mehar's treatment, applied for a leave of absence in response to the alleged mistreatment of the police chief. Officials say police had initially refused to arrest Safdar.

 

Sindh Police Chief was kidnapped and held against his will to arrest #CaptainSafdar to satisfy a few egos, @NawazSharifMNS says https://t.co/sNgix6D7Qz pic.twitter.com/PvH9YvPPtK

— Murtaza Ali Shah (@MurtazaViews) October 20, 2020

 

Mehar, in a brief statement, said he too considered taking a leave of absence, but changed his mind and asked his officers to defer going on leave for 10 days to give authorities a chance to investigate the matter. He did not say who abducted him or who forcibly took him to the offices of the Rangers.

 

In a series of tweets, Sindh provincial police said the "unfortunate incident" had "caused great heartache and resentment within all ranks of Sindh Police”. Police thanked the army chief for ordering an investigation into the incident.

 

The unfortunate incident that occurred on the night of 18/19 October caused great heartache and resentment within all ranks of Sindh Police.

— Sindh Police (@sindhpolicedmc) October 20, 2020

 

As a result, IG Sindh decided to proceed on leave and subsequently all ranks decided that they would also apply for leave to protest the humiliation meted out to Sindh police. This was a spontaneous and heartfelt reaction and made on an individual rather than a collective basis,

— Sindh Police (@sindhpolicedmc) October 20, 2020

 

because every single member of the department felt an acute sense of disrespect.Sindh police is immensely grateful to the Army Chief for realising the sense of hurt that prevailed within a uniformed force, and for promptly ordering an inquiry into the matter,

— Sindh Police (@sindhpolicedmc) October 20, 2020

which he has also assured will be impartial in order to restore the prestige of Sindh police. Sindh Police is also grateful to the chairman of the PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the honourable CM Sindh for coming to the IG House and showing solidarity with the police leadership.

— Sindh Police (@sindhpolicedmc) October 20, 2020

 

At the demonstration, Safdar had led a crowd in chanting: "Give respect to the vote!" That slogan is viewed in Pakistan as criticism of the country's military, which ruled Pakistan directly or indirectly for most of its history.

Safdar's father-in-law, Sharif, also has had a long, uneasy relationship with the military. Sharif served as Pakistan's prime minister three times. A court in 2017 ousted him from power over corruption allegations. He has been staying in London since November after being allowed to receive medical treatment abroad.