ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Chief Secretary Balochistan to take instructions from the chief minister for addressing issues pertaining to target killings and kidnapping for ransom etc and submit report within two weeks.
A three-member SC bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Muhammad Sair Ali and Justice Ghulam Rabbani heard the constitutional petition filed by president Balochistan High Court Bar Association Hadi Shakeel Ahmed against target killings, kidnapping for ransom etc in the province.
The court also directed the chief secretary to take instructions from the chief executive of the province regarding recovering of missing persons and adjourned the hearing for two weeks. Hadi Shakeel Ahmed, Advocate General Balochistan Amanullah Kanrani and Additional Advocate General Azam Khattak appeared before the court.
Hadi Shakeel Ahmed said that the provincial government has been failed to control the rapid incidents of kidnapping in the province. He informed that recently a businesswoman namely Nilofar was kidnapped in the heart of the city and still she was not yet recovered.
When the court asked him as to what was the solution to the issue, the petitioner replied that the bureaucracy has no option but to resign as it had totally failed to overcome the problems of target killings and kidnappings.
During the course of the hearing, the court asked the advocate general about the reasons behind the worsening law and order situation in the province. Amanullah Kanrani, AG, said he could brief the court in-camera, however the court rejected his request saying that ìnothing would be in-camera nowî.
The AG said that the provincial government was taking measures for redressing the issue. ìWhatever measures you are taking, itís good but what are the results,î the chief justice asked the advocate general. The AG said ìwe are not denying these issues and taking measures for overcoming the issueî.
Justice Iftikhar pointed out to him that people of the province are protesting in front of press club in Islamabad but nobody is taking notice of it.
The court also directed the provincial government to recover the missing lawyers as well as a woman of Zoroastrian (parsi) religion. To a court query, Additional Advocate General Azam Khattak submitted that one of the reasons behind uncontrolled law and order situation was lack of coordination between the institutions responsible for maintaining the law and order in the province.
The court observed that if the situation was not controlled and law and order was not maintained, it would pass order to this effect and the provincial government would be responsible for its consequences.
Assisting the court, Abdul Hafeez Pirzada suggested that the chief secretary should be directed to take instructions form the chief executive of the province.
The counsel said that the situation in the province was critical and alarming. He submitted that if the court holds that the government was not being run in accordance with the constitution and passes an order to this effect, the government would have to go. “There is an elected government in Balochistan and they are more duty bound under the constitution to protect the lives of the people,” Pirzada said.
The chief justice noted that the families of the missing people of Balochistan were camped outside the Islamabad press club, but even then the government was doing nothing. He said the government had failed to overcome the situation.
Pirzada further suggested the court that the advocate general with the cooperation of chief secretary should inform the chief executive and he should call the cabinet meeting to resolve the issue.
“Let the political government come and make the statement before the court,” Pirzada said. Meanwhile, the court adjourned the hearing for two weeks.
