Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti told provincial lawmakers during a requisitioned session of the Balochistan Provincial Assembly that state institutions were not involved in kidnapping people, claiming that banned militant organisations were abducting people to make money.
The requisitioned assembly session chaired by Speaker Raheela Hameed Khan Durrani was called to debate on the abduction of Asad Tareen, the son of local government minister and a senior leader of Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Sardar Mustafa Tareen. Tareen was kidnapped by unidentified armed men a few days ago when he left Cadet College Pishin.
Bugti said that the banned militant organisations were involved in kidnapping people to strengthen themselves. Four types of groups, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Baloch Liberation Army, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and criminal gangs are involved in the abduction of people, he said. He rejected the impression that any state institution might be involved in kidnapping people.
He said that Taliban militants were trying to make their roots in Quetta and added that our security forces would foil their designs in this regard. The government and security forces are able to deal with kidnappers and militants with an iron hand. Several gangs involved in kidnapping for ransom had been busted, he said.
He said there were some issues pertaining to governance and law and order but the government and security forces are on high alert and they would not allow anti-peace elements to implement their nefarious designs. He said that some PkMAP parliamentarians delivered emotional speeches over the issue and added that no state institution is involved in the crime.
The home minister said that although police had been made free of political pressure but deputy commissioners are still posted in districts on political basis.
Opposition leader Maulana Abdul Wasey said that the opposition would not boycott the requisitioned session of the legislator. He said that the opposition expressed its solidarity and sympathy with Sardar Mustafa Khan Tareen over the abduction of his son.
Provincial Minister for Education and PkMAP senior leader Abdul Raheem Ziaratwal said that the intelligence agencies should provide information to the government on the kidnapping of Asad Tareen and other people. In the light of information to be provided by the intelligence agencies, it is the responsibility of the government to take further action to ensure recovery of the abducted people, he said.
Provincial Minister for Planning and Development and PkMAP senior leader Dr Hamid Achakzai said that PkMAP is not against military. He urged the intelligence agencies to trace the whereabouts of Asad.
All parliamentary leaders in the house reached consensus to form a committee which would monitor the efforts of the government and security forces to recover Asad and other abducted people.
The speaker said that all parliamentary leaders would be a part of the parliamentary committee of the Balochistan Assembly formed in this regard.
Later, the house was prorogued for indefinite period.
