Law & order in Balochistan: Supreme Court directs AGP to submit report in three days

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Attorney-General to submit a detailed report, within three days, regarding measures taken by the prime minister to improve law and order situation in Balochistan.
A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry with Justice Muhammad Sair Ali and Justice Ghulam Rabbani, was hearing a petition filed by president of Balochistan High Court Bar Association (BHBA), Hadi Shakeel, regarding deteriorating law and order situation in Balochistan province.
The petitioner had made Balochistan chief secretary, federal and provincial interior ministries, ISI, MI, IB, Inspector-General of Police, FC and Levis IGs respondents in the petition. He submitted that law enforcement agencies had failed to protect life and property of the citizens, including advocates, officials, members of law enforcement agencies and the citizens.
The bench observed that under constitutional dispensation it is the joint responsibility of both provincial and federal governments to maintain law and order situation in the province. "In these circumstances when the law and order situation is going from bad to worse, the government has to play a more effective role to ensue peace in the province," it added.
Besides issuing notice to secretary interior, the court once again issued notices to chief secretary Balochistan, IG Frontier Constabulary, DG Levies and DG Military Intelligence as earlier they had also been asked to file para-wise comments in the said case.
The bench rejected a report filed by IGP Balochistan, saying that efforts were shown on papers only. The bench told the police officials that they had identified only three cases of advocates including Agha Nadir, Agha Zahid and Tahir, while remaining 110 cases of missing persons and other of target killings were not mentioned in the report.
The chief justice said that if heads of law enforcement agencies could not handle the worsening law and order situation, they should quit. "An ordinary person cannot go there (Balochistan); so what is being done to ensure writ of the government in the province?"
He said: "The court can not act as a silent spectator as we regularly hear of attacks on gas installations, attacks on important personalities like IGP, chief minister and the governor. The governor, who himself is nawab of Kalat came under attack but it is only luck which saved him...what is going on?" he posed a question.
The advocate-general Balochistan remained tight-lipped when the CJP asked him: "Can you just imagine the consequences of the prevailing situation in the province as enough time has already been passed?" Justice Muhammad Sair Ali said that both Inspector-General of Police and home secretary Balochistan, in their respective reports, have shown their inability to cope with law and order situation. "It means they are doing nothing; they cannot do anything; they are helpless...and there exists no writ of the government", he remarked.
Counsel for the petitioner told the court that incidents of car snatching and abduction for ransom had been on the rise. He also said that the authorities concerned were bound to protect life, liberty and property of the citizens but they were reluctant to eliminate pockets, which had become dens of criminals. The situation has been worsened to the level that even traffic wardens were carrying arms and ammunition for their safety. The officials of Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Inter Services Intelligence agency (ISIS) also appeared and submitted their respective replies. The hearing was adjourned till March 2.