The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Balochistan government to submit a detailed report on the people who were killed in sectarian violence in the last three years in the province. A three-member SC bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Muhammad Sair Ali and Justice Ghulam Rabbani was hearing a petition filed by Balochistan High Court Bar Association President Hadi Shakeel against the unabated incidents of target killings and abductions for ransom in the province.
The court directed the Balochistan chief secretary to formulate a compensation policy for those who were killed in incidents of targeted killing. The court expressed dismay over the provincial chief secretary failure to appear in court despite a notice being sent to him and directed him to appear on May 16, warning that otherwise contempt of court notice would be issued to him. Balochistan Advocate General Amanullah Kunrani however, told the court that the chief secretary could appear in court as he could not get a flight from Quetta to Islamabad.
The chief justice noted the government did not seem serious in resolving the issues of Balochistan, adding that the province was running without an inspector general of police. The court observed that the chief secretary was bound to protect the life and property of the people under Article 9. The SC also directed Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq to convene a meeting for the appointment of a permanent IG so that law and order could be improved in the province. The court adjourned the hearing until May 16.
