More equal than others
The judiciary, like all patriotic and humane Pakistanis, is concerned about the human rights situation in Balochistan, with scores of Baloch political activists disappearing at an increasing rate, many of them being tortured and killed. The apex court also makes the right sounds and is physically present, in the form of a three-member bench, in the provincial capital since some . The chief justice, himself domiciled from the province, has repeatedly castigated the Raisani-led provincial government for not doing its job properly.
That, unfortunately, doesn’t cut it. Consider: in his reply to the court, the provincial chief secretary said his government had written to the Frontier Corps, the ISI and the MI, asking specifics about a list of 62 missing persons. No reply. Had this been the civil government, federal or provincial, the court would have had a field day. As would have the mainstream media. No such thing here.
The supreme court seems to be talking at the government, not to it. And, to be fair to the judiciary, the provincial government isn’t exactly in any position to make its case either. It isn’t empowered to do much else either. Yes, it’s general incompetence and an apparent aversion to austerity don’t make its case much better either. But the sheer irrelevance of the Raisani-led makes the whole exercise of interrogation seem rather ridiculous. Compared to Balochistan, the ANP government in KP, despite there being far greater tumult in their province, carries far more weight.
True, the higher judiciary has taken, in the recent past, a number of unprecedented steps, questioning both the military and intelligence agencies; it did take up the Asghar Khan petition, after all. But there is a dire need to question not what happened two decades ago but what is unfolding right now. The judiciary should treat a disrespect of its court summons uniformly.
