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Balochistan case: 'No death squads within agencies'
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) resumed hearing of the Balochistan law and order and missing persons case on Friday where a joint statement by the federation and intelligence agencies was submitted following the court’s directives on Thursday, Geo News reported.
A three-member bench of the apex court comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawad S Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain resumed hearing the the petition filed by the president Balochistan High Court Bar Association against target killings, kidnapping for ransom and missing persons in Balochistan.
During today’s proceedings, a reply from the federation and intelligence agencies was submitted in the court where the respondents contended that no military operation was being carried out in the province. It was also stated that ‘death squads’ did not exist within the agencies and that the intelligence agencies did not have any missing person in their custody.
The chief secretary told the bench that a high level joint meeting was also held to discuss Balochistan issue that was attended by the defence minister, Army chief and the attorney general.
The chief justice remarked that the government had earlier refused about accepting the situation and now the court will hold case-to-case hearings.
He further said that all the leaders including the president, prime minister, Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan will have to work to find out a political solution of the matter.
The court then directed to distribute the copies of the reply among all the parties and decided to conduct further hearing in Quetta from October 18.
The SC on Thursday called for an end to military operations against the Baloch and for the disbanding of the ‘death squads’ of the intelligence agencies operating in Balochistan.
The court also sought the civil and military leadership’s “black and white” reaction to the worsening law and order situation in the restive province and to the suggestions made by former chief minister Balochistan Sardar Akhtar Mengal.
Former chief minister Balochistan and chief of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) Sardar Akhtar Mengal, who had earlier pleaded to become a party to assist the court on the issue of missing persons, appeared before the court and recorded his statement on the worsening law and order situation in the province.
The court sought the reaction of the president, prime minister, Inter Service Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) to Mengal’s statement. It thus directed the Chief Secretary Balochistan to bring to the notice of the president, prime minister, ISI, MI, and IB the suggestions made by Mengal today (Friday), and submit their reaction in black and white before the Supreme Court.
Courtesy www.geo.tv