Shameful
Federal as well as provincial governments seem to have shut their eyes and ears to the law and order situation in Balochistan. The indifference has led to an unending bloodletting that no decent government can ignore. Whenever asked, the government luminaries hold Pakistan’s enemies outside the country responsible for the situation. Involvement of unspecified countries has been hinted at several times by Rehman Malik. Balochistan Advocate General has now maintained at the SC that the Shia community was being targeted under an international conspiracy. As those involved in the killings are local terrorists, it is the responsibility of the agencies to trace them out. That this has failed to happen indicates a failure of the provincial and federal governments.
Criminal elements too enjoy a field day in the province. In March, a government official revealed that 70 people were kidnapped from the Quetta Division alone during the last three months, including 23 members of the Hindu community. Earlier, two judges and eight NGO workers were also kidnapped. The motive behind these incidents is mostly the ransom money. There are reports of people in high places being involved in kidnappings. In March, Balochistan home minister Zafrullah Zehri stated on record in a cabinet meeting that some of the ministers were involved in the crime. Subsequent demands for probe made in the Balochistan Assembly were ignored. Finally, the SC ordered the registration of FIRs against the three ministers after Zehri submitted a written statement to the court.
Security agencies are widely accused of being another source of problems in Balochistan. In February PPP president and MPA Mir Sadiq Umrani gave a statement in the assembly claiming that the FC was involved in killings. In the case of the missing seven, it was only after a warning of suspension from the SC to the top police officers that these missing persons could be recovered in installments. They had been allegedly picked up by intelligence agencies. No answer was supplied by the police about those behind their involuntary disappearance for nearly six weeks. Unless the federal and provincial governments get their act together during the remainder of their tenure, Balochistan would remain a blot on the name of the ruling party.
