It seems that tension between the Sindh government and the security establishment over the issue of Rangers’ powers in the province has been eased. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) agreed to extension in stay of the paramilitary forces and policing powers in a high-level meeting in Dubai on July 24.

At the same time, the PPP leadership has removed Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and nominated Syed Murad Ali Shah, provincial finance minister, as province’s new chief executive, who could take tough decisions for ‘political and strategic purposes’ to protect the party’s collective interests.

The PPP leadership terms the replacement of chief minister as well as major overhaul in Sindh cabinet a routine matter. Maula Bux Chandio, adviser to the Sindh chief minister on information, says party’s top leaders have decided to bring "young leadership" for the betterment of the province. "It is not a conspiracy. Party leadership elected Qaim as chief minister thrice but, at this stage, the party needs a more energetic and young chief minister," says Chandio.

Party insiders and analysts have different stories to tell. A PPP lawmaker, who is privy to the inside developments, agrees that the Sindh government, during Qaim Ali Shah’s eight year-long tenure as chief minister, was accused of bad governance and allowing corruption in various sectors, especially education, health, and law and order. "Apart from it, his soft stance over the issue of the Rangers’ recent actions in rural Sindh against the partymen, especially a raid on Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Sial’s house in Larkana, caused his departure," the lawmaker tells TNS, requesting anonymity.

The Rangers and the Sindh government are at cross purposes over several cases including the arrest of former PPP minister Dr Asim Hussain who has been in paramilitary custody for almost a year now.

The row deepened when the Rangers accused Sial of aiding the illegal release of Asad Kharal, said to be a close aide of certain PPP top leaders, from the custody of the Rangers’ personnel, who went to his house in Larkana on July 12 to arrest him on corruption charges.

This incident escalated a tussle between the PPP-led Sindh government and Rangers, and politics on extension of policing power of Rangers, which expired on July 18. Tension started with Qaim announcing that the PPP top leaders would decide stay of Rangers’ extension.

The Rangers and the Frontier Constabulary were first called to curb rising political violence in the city in 1989 by the then PPP government in the centre. Since then, Rangers have been assisting the police and consecutive provincial governments keep extending their stay -- officially asking for their services for three to six months every time their deadline nears the end. On May 4, Rangers’ powers were extended for 77 days.

Tension eased between the PPP and the Rangers in following days, with arrest of Kharal by law enforcement agencies in Hyderabad, after Karachi Corps Commander Lt General Naveed Mukhtar met Qaim Ali Shah.

Political analysts believe that the extension of Rangers’ stay is a political issue, not an administrative one.

"The PPP leadership closely monitored the political changes happening in Karachi, because of Rangers-led ongoing operation," says Riaz Sohail, a Karachi-based journalist who covers Sindh politics extensively. "The PPP leaders are reluctant to use Rangers’ powers in rural Sindh as they fear it will harm party’s interests and may bring about Karachi-like political development."

Sohail does not see Murad Ali Shah’s nomination for chief minister’s slot as a message to the security establishment. "Murad was neither a hardcore party member nor took part in any movement. He has expertise in finance and economic issues, and can well confront the federal government on NFC, water and provincial autonomy issues," says Sohail, continuing that for the PPP government, the next 18 months before the next general elections are very important. "Murad’s nomination shows they have started preparing for it."

When the federal cabinet empowered the Rangers in September 2013 to lead a targeted operation in Karachi with the support of police against criminal syndicates, Taliban, sectarian groups and groups involved in targeted killings, extortion and kidnapping for ransom, the PPP-led Sindh government showed its satisfaction. They did not even listen to the complaints of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement that their party has badly been targeted in the operation.

But the PPP started accusing the Rangers of overstepping their mandate when operation’s dragnet was thrown wider -- when the Sindh government’s offices were raided and arrests were made in rural Sindh.

Officials in the Sindh Home Department say the Rangers want extension of their jurisdiction beyond Karachi in the light of intelligence report indicating the presence of several militant networks in rural Sindh. However, the Sindh government wants to limit its role only to Karachi and to cases of targeted killings, extortions and kidnappings for ransom.

In December, the Sindh Assembly adopted a resolution to limit the Rangers’ powers and sent a summary to the centre. However, the latter has turned down the request and notified a 60-day extension in the Rangers’ authority.

However, some officials in the government have advised the PPP leadership to look into the option of allowing the Rangers to work in rural Sindh on a ‘case-to-case’ basis.