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The police were also relatively inactive in the aftermath of May 12 as violence
continued unabated. Though some action was taken to curb the violence in the form of setting
up buffer points, and even trying to control violent mobs and protestors, however this still led
to several deaths and injuries in various neighborhoods. For example, in the Benares/Qasba
area it was reported that the police maintained a low profile all day until around 6 pm when
they made some arrests with the help of an armoured personnel carrier (APC). 120
The police were also not spared during the ensuing mayhem. Many police were injured
when their mobile units came under fire near the courts and other skirmishes between the
police and armed activists. An off-duty police head constable, 48-year-old Mansoor Ahmed
was caught by a mob and beaten and then shot dead in the Manghopir area on 13 May. 121
There was also damage to police posts, such as the 15 Madadgar” post in the Aath Chowk
area. 122
4.2 Rangers and military
In contrast to the police, Rangers and the military were entirely absent on May 12,
despite the Rangers being placed in potential conflict areas as per the official security plan.
When either of these security forces was present, they maintained distance and diligently
avoided any engagement with violent elements. These forces were not responsive to judicial
orders either, as was the case with the City Courts.
Some of the main ambushes took place within close range of military and paramilitary
installations. The ambush at COD/Drigh Road Railway station on Shara-e-Faisal was in close
proximity to army installations. In Malir, firing at the CJ supporters was reportedly started
from close to the main gate of the Bhitai Rangers’ base at Kala Board. In both these places
firing continued for several hours. It is incomprehensible that the military and paramilitary
forces could remain aloof while there were war-like scenes at their very doorsteps. Such
indifference not only betrayed callousness towards the lives of citizens it also displayed a
sloppy and lackadaisical attitude to the security of important military installations.
HRCP
Major-General Javed Zia, the Director General of the Rangers in Karachi, met a
delegation of Pashtun community leaders and some journalists on 16 May and told them some
13,000 troops had been deployed on May 12. He also stated that they were assigned security
duties at the airport and were responsible to protect the Chief Justice, multinational
companies, banks and other important installations. “As there were no unfortunate
occurrences at these places, the Rangers cannot be held accountable for incidents in other
parts of the city” 123 . He further said that the primary duty of the Rangers was to secure the
Sindh segment of the Pakistan-India international border. 124 A day later he was reported as
saying that if the Rangers had become active in the city on May 12 there would have been
heaps of bodies. 125 These comments and remarks, if reported correctly, reveal some level of
confusion within the command structure of the security policy vis-à-vis May 12. The numbers
mentioned by the DG were certainly not in evidence in the streets. If such large numbers were
indeed present and available, it is not clear what their rules of engagement were. Even if the
Rangers’ primary duty was with respect to the Indian border, it was inexplicable that they did
120
Ummat 14 May (c)
121
Ummat 14 May (c),
122
Dawn 13 May (i), Express 13 May (h).
123
See The News, “Rangers not guilty for May 12: DG Rangers”, May 17, 2007
124
Express 17 May (a).
125
Express 18 May (a).
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