Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has rejected the provincial government's proposal to grant extension to Rangers with specific conditions and issued notification for 90 days, here on Monday.

According to a senior official of Ministry of Interior, the ministry has issued notification regarding extension in Rangers' special policing power under Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997 for another 90 days.

In its reply to Sindh government, the Ministry of Interior through a letter informed the Sindh government that neither any limitation can be imposed on ATC laws nor any section of the law can partially be separated or changed. The recommendation forwarded by the Sindh government should be in accordance with law, but the proposal forwarded by the Sindh government does not fall in ambit of law, the letter further said.

The official told that terms and conditions proposed by the Sindh government for extension in rangers' special power were not made part of the notification. The Sindh government on Saturday last extended the special policing powers granted to the Rangers under Section 4(2) of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997 within Karachi division for 90 days from April 16 and forwarded summary to the federal government.

The Ministry of Interior had notified extension in rangers' special policing powers in Karachi for three months on January 16 on the request of the Sindh government which expired on April 16. The deployment of Pakistan Rangers in Sindh and Karachi is requisitioned under Article 147 of the Constitution and Clause 1 of sub-section 3 of Section 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, authorising the paramilitary force to prevent the commission of terrorist acts, or scheduled offences in notified area for the punishment of terrorists in accordance with the provision of the ATA 1997.

Rangers were called in by the then Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government in 1989 in Karachi to aid the civil administration and the police to maintain law and order.-Business Recorder