Wake up from slumber, SC tells security agencies

Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Thursday said foreign hands were busy deteriorating the law and order in Balochistan, but it appeared as if the agencies responsible for the province’s security were fast asleep. Hearing the Balochistan law and order case at the Supreme Court’s Quetta Registry on Thursday, the CJP said the lawyers of Frontier Corps had claimed that foreign hands were involved in the deteriorating situation in Balochistan, “but are the security agencies sleeping?” “Why are the police, FC, Levies and the district administration acting like idols? Incompetent officers must be removed.
The officials are taking full perks and privileges just for sitting in air-conditioned and decorated offices,” the CJP lamented. The three-member SC bench headed by the CJ expressed anger over the absence of interior secretary, however, Defense Secretary Lt Gen (r) Asif Yaseen Malik and Frontier Corps IG Maj Gen Obaidullah Khattak were present in court.The chief justice asked the FC IG to submit a written reply in court regarding his failure.
However, Khattak said he had never wasted even a single moment and performed his duties day in and day out.
The CJP also asked the defense secretary to state whether he had failed or succeeded to tend to his duty. Justice Arif Khilji said almost 46 Shias were killed during the last six months in Balochistan. During the hearing, women from the Hazara Shia tribe presented facts and figures about the targeted killings of Hazaras from 1999 to 2012. They said their elders were still getting threatening calls, adding that 708 Hazara Shias had been murdered since 1999.
The bench expressed its resentment over the number and called it an alarming situation.
The chief justice asked the officials present what steps had they taken for the security of Hazara people. “The government should tell who did what.” The CJP said the court had been hearing the matter for the last four days but the result had been zero, adding that no one was ready to take responsibility in the province.
Calling Balochistan a volcano ready to explode, he told Khattak that the name of FC had repeatedly appeared in missing persons’ cases. He asked the FC IG if his organization had apprehended any foreign agent. Khattak responded that the FC was being defamed under a planned conspiracy and it was unfortunate for one institution to level allegations on the other.
Justice Khilji Arif Hussain said Balochistan was the soul of Pakistan and saving it was extremely imperative. The Supreme Court also directed the defense secretary, the chief secretary, the inspector general of police and the FC IG to submit a joint statement on the issue.