The defence secretary says Pakistan would like US assistance for effectively monitoring the Durand Line so that the terrorists who have fled to Afghanistan don’t get an opportunity to sneak back into Pakistan. In plain words there is a dire need now for an effective border management. There is a talk of formation of a joint Pak-Afghan border force to keep a vigilant eye on the border which is fair enough. Our valiant armed forces have shed their blood in the FATA for clearing it of the terrorists who ruled the roost in the tribal belt spread over 2700 square kilometres between Bajaur and South Waziristan after nine-eleven. All the good work done by them, hitherto, would go down the drain if due to any laxity on our part, the terrorists managed to return to FATA. Not only is, therefore, a need to have a tighter control on the border line, the administrative system along with intelligence gathering mechanism inside the FATA also needs to be strengthened
The Rangers, no doubt, have been doing a commendable job by cleaning the Augean stables of Karachi despite bottlenecks being created by the Sind government in their way. The detractors of the Rangers’clean-up operation in Karachi have now unleashed a propaganda that no worthwhile criminal has been arrested by them besides Dr Asim Hussain. The Rangers should, therefore, lay bare all the facts about the arrests so far made by them before the people by releasing to the media the names of persons nabbed by them so far, details of the criminal cases in which they are involved and nature and description of weaponry recovered from them. The Rangers should also doubly ensure that the cases against them are properly fought in the courts for which they should hire highly qualified lawyers with good track record as experience of hindsight reveals that because of grave legal lacunae in the Prosecution cases, lack of proper legal knowledge and homework by the Prosecution branch of the police, most of their cases fail in the courts.