12 police slain by dacoits in riverine areas laid to rest
Punjab govt transfers three senior officers
IN a tragic reminder of our law-enforcement agencies’ inability to solve a problem that has long been festering in the riverine areas straddling the Sindh-Punjab border, the last rites of 12 police officers martyred in a rocket attack were carried out on Friday. Apparently alarmed and angered by their inability to bring the situation under control, the Punjab government transferred three police officers from Rahim Yar Khan and announced a bounty for the capture of those responsible for the fatal attack on policemen.
Punjab police, however, claimed to have killed one dacoit and injured five others who were suspected of carrying out the attack on a police party in Machka’s riverine area. The assault was regarded as the bloodiest strike carried out so far by gangs operating in the riverine areas of Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur in south Punjab, as well as Ghotki and Kashmore in Sindh.
Policemen who were injured in the attack told journalists their vehicles did not break down; rather, they were ambushed by outlaws hiding in sugarcane fields along a road.
Sindh police have assured their counterparts in Punjab of extending all kinds of assistance in measures against criminal gangs operating in the riverine areas, Sindh’s Inspector General (IG) Ghulam Nabi Memon told ‘Dawn’. He said his department is ready to provide assistance by deploying forces along the potential escape routes and providing armoured personnel carriers and other equipment.
According to him, criminals take refuge on distant islands in the Indus or in wooded areas to avoid detection by law-enforcement personnel. They also use the bunkers scattered around the katcha areas as hideouts.
High-value targets
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced a cash prize of Rs10 million for information about high-value targets among the dacoits and purses of Rs2.5m to Rs5m for other dangerous criminals operating in the riverine areas. “We have identified 20 high-value targets in the katcha areas of Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur,” said Punjab’s IG Dr Usman Anwar.
Talking to ‘Dawn’, he said one of the hardcore criminals, Bashir Shar, was killed after a furious pursuit. Five of Shar’s accomplices — Sanaullah Shar, Gada Ali, Kamlu Shar, Ramzan Shar, and Gadi — were injured in the police action.
The provincial police chief arrived in Rahim Yar Khan on Thursday night, accompanied by the Punjab Counter Terrorism Department’s additional inspector general and other top police officers. Senior officials from the Intelligence Bureau, Special Branch, Rangers and other security organisations were also present there.
The chief minister transferred Imran Ahmad Malik, the District Police Officer for Rahim Yar Khan, after it was alleged that he failed to ensure that police moved through the affected areas in a safe and secure manner, in accordance with established protocols. The provincial government appointed Rizwan Umar Gondal as the new DPO of Rahim Yar Khan on Friday night.
This is Mr Gondal's second posting as the Rahim Yar Khan DPO; last year, he oversaw a significant operation there against katcha outlaws that lasted many weeks and was adjudged to be successful.
Meanwhile, analysts say it is clear by now that police cannot bring the dacoits operating in katcha areas to justice; therefore, it’s time for a larger, well-coordinated operation by the army or paramilitary personnel. According to them, the situation in the riverine areas is similar to the situation in Karachi in the late 80s to early 90s as terrorism became widespread then and police failed to eliminate terror outfits there, forcing the Rangers to intervene and help secure the city.
It has become abundantly clear over the last couple of years that the dacoits operating in the riverine regions of Punjab and Sindh cannot be defeated by police, added the analysts. So it’s time for the Rangers personnel to step in.