Supreme Court orders on Balochistan be implemented
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said on Saturday he and the Supreme Court (SC) wanted to resolve the issue of Balochistan immediately, adding that it was the PPP’s priority to meet lawful demands of the disgruntled Baloch.
During a meeting with Balochistan Chief Secretary Babar Yaqoob, the prime minister ordered the authorities concerned to ensure implementation of the court’s orders with regard to improving the law and order situation in the province.
The chief secretary briefed the PM on the security situation in Balochistan, including the long-running separatist insurgency and alarming rise in sectarian violence.
Raja assured the chief secretary that the federal government would extend all-out help to the provincial government in resolving issues of Balochistan.
The meeting between the PM and chief secretary came at a time when the province is facing numerous problems such as sectarian violence and enforced disappearances.
Expressing concern over the role of Frontier Corps in Balochistan, the Supreme Court had warned the force to produce missing persons or face criminal action against its personnel that have been nominated in the FIRs for their alleged involvement in the abductions.
However, Raja Muhammad Irshad, the counsel for FC, had vehemently denied the force’s involvement in the missing persons’ case and claimed the FC men were not nominated. The CJP had said the court had reached a stage where everything had been identified, but it was now giving opportunity to the federal and provincial governments to act.
He had also said that Balochistan is burning but the executive was not showing interest in controlling the situation. The CJP observed that enforcement of the constitution in Balochistan was mandatory to save democratic institutions.
The country’s intelligence agencies are usually blamed for the alleged abduction of Baloch, enforced disappearances of political workers and murders of suspects kept in illegal detention. Separately, Raja directed Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh to ensure that no cuts are made in development funds for Balochistan.
The minister called on the prime minister at Prime Minister’s House and briefed him about the economic situation of the country. Raja praised Hafeez Shaikh for releasing requisite funds for the Kaachi Canal Project and hoped it would be completed by the end of this year.
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