Rana Maqbool is singing like a canary

Salman Hussain details how the former IGP Sindh made it big in the province

Rana Maqbool was not just the Inspector General of Police, Sindh. He was the de-facto chief executive of the province since Governor's Rule was enforced on October 30, 1998. During this period, he ran a private army comprising three SPs and about a dozen SHOs. On October 12, he took some of his "comrades" to Quaid-e-Azam International Airport Karachi with a dozen APCs to arrest none other then the Chief of the Army Staff, General Pervez Musharraf, on the orders of the prime minister of Pakistan. What else did he get up to as IGP Sindh?

It is also alleged that Rana embarked upon a serious conspiracy to kill Senator Asif Zardari; falsely implicated MQM activist Amirullah in the murder case of Hakim Said and secured Farooq Amin Qureshi out-of-turn promotion over 100 senior officers; wrongly implicated people in over 60 high profile cases, including those related to the killings of the five American nationals of Union Texas etc.

Well informed sources allege that that his comrade-in-arm Farooq Amin Qureshi collected "batha" for out-of-turn promotions and transfers in the police, while falsely implicating people in cases and prodding DIG Akbar Arain to prosecute them.

October 12th operation

From Karachi to Nawabshah, the operation was supervised by Rana Maqbool from 4 pm onwards on "May Day". But it was only after he reached the airport that one of his comrades informed him about resistance from the army and advised him to vacate the airport. His comrade at the airport was a multi-millionaire Deputy Director FIA Immigration, Ch. Mohammad Sharif. They all then left the airport and went to the residence of Ch. Sharif where they holed out for two full days before realising that the party was over and surrendering to the military authorities. Thus the most powerful man of Sindh become an absconder and is now recording his statement before the Joint Interrogation Team (JIT) at the army mess in Malir. His most loyal comrades DIG Karachi Akbar Arain and DIG Crime Farooq Amin Qureshi are in custody and a few other police officers face the same fate. But there is still a big question mark over the fate of several very controversial SHOs in the city who have become millionaires in the last twelve months. Some of them are the same people who terrorised Karachi during Benazir Bhutto's government as well. All these SHOs have their own "private armies" which operate in yellow cabs and harass innocent people.

At the airport, Ch. Sharif's deputy Zafarullah Cheema, who has also obtained an out-of-turn promotion and was then serving at the Airport Police Station, was monitoring the situation. He informed Sharif and Maqbool about the activities of the Corp Commander Karachi and the army's decision to welcome back General Musharraf.

Senior police officials have confirmed that Rana started making plans after receiving messages from the PM Secretariat in Islamabad to the effect: "Take care of Musharraf". Sources said that it was decided by the conspirators that in the event of having to make the plane land anywhere in Pakistan, the town of Nawabshah was best suited. General Musharraf was to be arrested there and taken to Islamabad. Several police officials in Nawabshah who were deputed to cover that end have also been detained.

Since Rana saw himself as Sindh's supremo, and wanted to take all the kudos for it from the prime minister, he took care not to involve too many government officials in this operation. While PIA Chairman Shahid Khakan Abbasi, advisor Nadir Chodhury and former political secretary of the deposed premier, Mushtaq Tahir Kehli and others were busy in ensuring the workability of the plan to deny the PIA aircraft landing rights in Karachi, Rana was asked to control the "ground position".

Will Rana agree to become "approver" in the case? Sources say he is singing like a canary. Police officials claim that the other members of Rana's team include SP CIA Aga Tahir, SSP Central Hussain Asghar, DSP Chaudry Mohammad Aslam, SHOs Sarwar Commando, Taufiq Zahid, Ghazzanfar Ali Kazmi, Sadullah Bangsh, Babar Ali and Sher Mohammad Mangrio.

Sources also allege that the IGP and the two DIGs were busy in a lucrative scheme to mint money via the umerited pomotions and transfers of police officers. "On the last day in office the troika gave promotions to over 130 officers and transferred 22 SHOs", said one source.

An officer investigating the wrong-doings of Rana, Amin and Arain told TFT that they had fixed "rates" for transfers and postings and out-of-turn promotions. For instance, the cost of an out-of-turn promotion for a Head Constable was fixed at Rs one lac, that of an ASI to Sub-Inspector at Rs two lacs; a posting for an SHO cost Rs three lacs but for postings at places like Karachi Airport, Gadapp, Kharadar and other highly profitable thanas, the cost went up to Rs ten lacs.

Besides, it is alleged that these officers and their SHOs would collect Crores of rupees in each high profile case involving Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) members. "The big game was planned after the murder of Hakim Said. The PM came to Karachi and told Rana that he wanted results. That is why SP Farooq Amin was given the task and Amirullah become his victim. Farooq than informed Rana Maqbool who, instead of giving a report to the than governor Moinuddin Haider, directly went to the PM and took Farooq Amin along with him. That is how Amin become DIG, Karachi, a source said.

A senior police official has now confirmed that the prosecution may withdraw the name of Amirullah from the Hakim Said case. But the source said that Shakir Langra was definitely involved in the murder. "Rana in fact wanted to kill Shakir in an extra-judicial encounter. But a newspaper published his photo in custody and the plan was therefore dropped. The move was to get rid off of Shakir so that he could not deny the involvement of Amirullah," sources said.

Sources further said that during investigations it came to light that DIG, Farooq Amin Qureshi had also captured a two acre plot of land near the Cantt railway station. "He acquired this land when he was SP, Railways, and has now rented the government land to another SP, Recently, he applied to the federal government asking for a formal lease to the land and was assured by Rana that the Rs 10 crore property would be leased out to him for a song.

Police sources also claim that over 60 high profile cases in which people were falsely implicated were lodged by Rana and Associates and the Corps Headquarters will now be asked to ensure justice for these innocent victims. Furthermore, the results of seven inquiries into extra-judicial killings which were buried by Rana will now be made available to the relevant authorities.