News
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
APC accuses security agencies of extra-judicial killings
* Decides to launch joint movement against ‘state terrorism’, targeted killings and highway hold ups
By Mohammad Zafar
QUETTA: Almost all the major political parties of Balochistan have decided to launch a joint movement by holding protest rallies and public meetings to press the government stop ‘target killings’, and check incidents of kidnapping for ransom and highway holdups.
Addressing a joint press conference at the Quetta Press Club, Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) gave the details of the decisions of the All Parties Coordination Committee (APCC), claiming that the law and order situation was going from bad to worse because of the incompetent government in the province.
All the leaders agreed that the military operation in Balochistan seemed to be launched to intimidate the political opponents of the government.
The APCC had been formed during the recently held all-parties conference in order to launch a joint strategy to restore peace in Balochistan.
The leaders of several political parties including, BNP Acting President Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini, Dr Ishaq Baloch of the National Party (NP), Abdul Rauf Lala of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP), Abdul Mateen Akhwandzada of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Abdul Malik Panezai of the Awami National Party (ANP), Abdul Khaliq Hazara of the Hazara Democratic Party (HDP), Qasim Khan of the Tehreek-e-Insaaf, Attahullah of the Balochistan Bar Association and Rahim Kakar of the Anjuman-e-Tajran were present on the occasion.
The party leaders alleged that the government and its functionaries were involved in extra-judicial arrests and killings, mainly of political activists and leaders opposed to the government.
They said the recovery of bullet-riddled bodies, targeted killings of innocent people belonging to Baloch, Pashtun and other ethnic communities were on the rise. They alleged that the security forces, instead of taking action against the culprits involved in these heinous crimes, violated the sanctity of homes by carrying out arbitrary raids.
They criticised the government and the law enforcement agencies for their failure to maintain peace and giving the criminals a free hand only to harass innocent people.
Dr. Jehanzeb Jamaldini claimed that it was a pre-planned conspiracy hatched against Balochistan and its people to create differences among them by encouraging criminal activities and targeted killings of political leaders and activists.
The APCC condemned all the inhuman acts of targeted killings whether it was being carried out against Baloch, Pashtun or any other community.
Jamaldini said the APCC would launch a political struggle against the state terrorism and to create awareness among the masses by carrying out rallies, holding seminars, mass gatherings and calling for shutter down or wheel-jam strikes more often.
He questioned the silence of the government on the killing innocent people in custody.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk