The Supreme Court on Thursday accepted a request by spy agencies, allowing them to give the court an in-camera briefing over the worsening law and order and alarming increase in incidents of targeted killings and abductions for ransom in Balochistan.
A three-member bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez also directed the Balochistan chief secretary to submit a detailed report over incidents of targeted killings and abductions for ransom, as well as the arrests of the accused who were involved in targeted killings during the last three years.
The court also directed the spy agencies to point out during the in-camera briefing the areas of the province where law and order was extremely hostile.
The court observed that it was the duty of the provincial police and politicians to take steps to ensure stability in Balochistan.
The court was hearing a petition on Balochistan’s deteriorating law and order and incidents of targeted killings, filed by Balochistan High Court Bar Association President Hadi Shakeel Ahmed.
The provincial inspector general of police and chief secretary appeared before the bench on notice. The chief justice asked the chief secretary that what was happening in the province as even two policemen were killed the previous day.
Upon this, the chief secretary said they were hopeful that the law and order situation would be controlled. “You might see a stable situation in files, but the position on ground is not stable,” Justice Khilji Arif Hussain said.
Expressing concerns over closing down of schools in Balochistan, the chief justice said teachers were reluctant to perform their duties due to worsening law and order, adding that the court should be informed in this regard.
“For how long will matters be kept hidden, because such an attitude is also affecting the situation,” he added.
The court asked what steps had been taken by the provincial government for developing the local body system.
Meanwhile, the court also expressed dissatisfaction over the Sindh police’ report on the murder of Balochistan Assembly Member Mir Bakhtiar Domki’s wife and daughter.
Sindh police claimed that some progress had been made in the case, but it could not be shared in open.
The court then directed the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) to give in camera briefing on Balochistan.
On the last hearing, the attorney general for Pakistan had told the bench that the ISI and MI wanted to brief the court in chamber over the Balochistan issue.
Both the top spy agencies have already submitted their classified reports over the Balochistan situation.
