Eliminate root causes of violence against Hazara, SC orders govt

Urging the government to eradicate the root cause of attacks against the Hazara community, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has said that under Article 9 of the constitution, it is the responsibility of the state to provide safety and security to its citizens.

A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed resumed the hearing of a suo motu notice taken on the latest attack on the Hazara community in Quetta.

During the course of hearing, the CJP remarked, “The people of Quetta or Balochistan cannot be confined to their houses and there is a need to show efficiency to root out the causes behind these incidents.” He said there was a dire need to formulate long-term planning to bring peace in Quetta as “Quetta used to be one of the most peaceful cities of Pakistan”.

Balochistan Additional Advocate General Azam Khattak told the court that the authorities were making arrangements to ensure scanning and checking in the area, adding that the security for Hazara Town had also been beefed up.

When Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed enquired whether scanners were installed in the area, Khattak replied that scanners were being brought and would be installed upon arrival. Justice Ejaz Afzal said scanners should be provided on emergency basis wherever they were needed.

The CJP enquired whether the victims had been given the compensation or not. Khattak replied that “work is being done and the matter will be resolved in a week’s time”.

Senator Abbas Komeli also submitted his statement before the court which was accepted by the bench. He said the Hazara community was not demanding any targeted operation against anyone, adding that the real culprits behind the attacks should be brought to justice.

In his statement, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MNA Nasir Ali Shah said the people of Quetta were proud to be Pakistanis. “We do not want compensation. We only want peace in Quetta. We want that the culprits be dealt with iron hands,” he stated.

In its order, the bench stated that the law enforcement agencies and the local administration had not succeeded in identifying the root-causes of the incidents so far. The court further said that despite warnings, no steps had been taken and compensation was not provided to the victims, adding that the government should pay the compensation on priority.

Later, the court directed the Balochistan inspector general of police, chief secretary, inspector general of Frontier Constabulary, and the Balochistan home secretary to submit a comprehensive report on the incident and adjourned the hearing until March 6.