Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said on Monday that the issue of unrest in Balochistan was one of the most crucial issues facing Pakistan currently, but the government and administration had no passion for resolving it.
The CJP made the remarks while hearing a petition on the law and order situation in the province. A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, including Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Arif Hussain, heard the petition filed by the Balochistan High Court Bar Association.
Disagreeing with the claim of police and Balochistan government that law and order situation had improved, the CJP said that nine persons had been reportedly killed during the last three or four days. He said that the appearance of several personalities, including dissident Baloch leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal, before the court shows their confidence in court, but added that the government and administration were not willing to do anything to improve the situation. “We ask for the recovery of missing persons, but the state institutions deny holding them while they do nothing to improve the situation,”
the CJP remarked, adding that the government’s report on missing persons was full of lies, and shows that it has no resolve or passion for improving the law and order situation.
“We have clearly asked for an end to any ongoing military operation and the activities of ‘death squad’, but armed groups brandishing weapons are still roaming on the streets. Why does it happen in the presence of Frontier Corps whose general is presence in the court,” the CJP said.
While addressing the security forces, the chief justice observed, “You people failed to bring a single missing person whereas the police report submitted before the court shows the involvement of Frontier Corps in every second or third missing person’s case.”
While addressing the inspector general of Balochistan Police, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain said, “If you are not able to arrest the killers of your police officer, then what importance will you give to the murderer of a common man.”
Speaking in the court, Balochistan Advocate General Amanullah Kunrani claimed that the situation in the province had improved a lot. However, the CJP replied: “What you are talking about? Even yesterday two people were killed in Quetta; the people of Frontier Corps are also being killed. Once there used to be terrorism in Sri Lanka, but today an international tournament is being held there. If you say that the situation has improved, then open up Dera Bugti for everyone. Bansara Bugti, a recovered missing person, told the court that he had seen 80 more Bugtis under custody at an FC camp in Dera Bugti.
Nasrullah Baloch, chairman of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, told the court that during previous hearings of the case, hundreds of relatives of missing persons had appeared before the court, but they too were losing hope now because of inaction by the authorities.
He claimed that the family members of the missing persons were continuously receiving life threats by state agencies for pursuing the cases. “If anything happens to them, these agencies will be responsible for that,” he said. The CJP agreed that the people were losing confidence in court due to inaction by the authorities.
Munir A Malik, who is assisting the court, said that while the government and the administration were claiming that the situation had improved, they were also admitting their failures. Another lawyer Raja Suleman pointed out that the constitution’s clauses on the protecting the life and property of citizens were not being implemented.
Without naming the Balochistan government, the chief justice remarked: “If a government is sent packing, then another will be formed, and that is why we are exercising restraint. Otherwise there is no justification for the government to exist for not meeting constitutional injunctions.”
“We want democracy in the country, but articles are being written against the courts. If the government does not implement the constitution, then we are bound to issue orders in accordance with the constitution,” he said.
The court ordered the government to prepare a plan within one week for the rehabilitation of displaced Bugti tribes in Dera Bugti.
The Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) also became a party in the petition on the law and order situation in Balochistan. The party’s representative Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal said that constitution was being trampled down on a large scale in the province, and the Balochistan government is not running the administrative and financial affairs in accordance with the constitution.
the CJP remarked, adding that the government’s report on missing persons was full of lies, and shows that it has no resolve or passion for improving the law and order situation.
“We have clearly asked for an end to any ongoing military operation and the activities of ‘death squad’, but armed groups brandishing weapons are still roaming on the streets. Why does it happen in the presence of Frontier Corps whose general is presence in the court,” the CJP said.
While addressing the security forces, the chief justice observed, “You people failed to bring a single missing person whereas the police report submitted before the court shows the involvement of Frontier Corps in every second or third missing person’s case.” While addressing the inspector general of Balochistan Police, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain said, “If you are not able to arrest the killers of your police officer, then what importance will you give to the murderer of a common man.”
Speaking in the court, Balochistan Advocate General Amanullah Kunrani claimed that the situation in the province had improved a lot. However, the CJP replied: “What you are talking about? Even yesterday two people were killed in Quetta; the people of Frontier Corps are also being killed. Once there used to be terrorism in Sri Lanka, but today an international tournament is being held there. If you say that the situation has improved, then open up Dera Bugti for everyone. Bansara Bugti, a recovered missing person, told the court that he had seen 80 more Bugtis under custody at an FC camp in Dera Bugti. Nasrullah Baloch, chairman of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, told the court that during previous hearings of the case, hundreds of relatives of missing persons had appeared before the court, but they too were losing hope now because of inaction by the authorities. He claimed that the family members of the missing persons were continuously receiving life threats by state agencies for pursuing the cases. “If anything happens to them, these agencies will be responsible for that,” he said. The CJP agreed that the people were losing confidence in court due to inaction by the authorities.
