Law and order: Balochistan ministers express helplessness

Balochistan ministers seek assistance of tribal elders in booking culprits.

QUETTA: An overwhelming majority of ministers in the Balochistan Assembly expressed their serious concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the province and sought the help of tribal elders to maintain durable peace, during a debate in the assembly here on Tuesday.

As many as 20 people hailing from the Hindu community have been kidnapped recently, including the 82-year-old spiritual leader of the community Lakmi Chand Garji, said provincial minister Jay Parkash.

“These incidents have shocked the entire Hindu community living in Balochistan. Our only demand is to ensure the safe recovery of our spiritual leader and other kidnapped people,” he added.

Asfandyar Kakar of the Pakistan Peoples Party said incidents of kidnapping for ransom are not only confined to the minorities; people from majority groups are also being kidnapped. “It is matter of great concern for us that despite sitting in the government, we are powerless. We cannot face the people because of our failure to arrest the culprits,” he said.

Besides, no teacher from other provinces is willing to come to Balochistan because of the worsening law and order situation, Kakar added.

Meanwhile, Dr Fauzia Nazeer Marri said while foreign forces may be involved in the insurgency, our own people are backing them in various ways.

Drawing the attention of the House to her constituency in Kohlu district, Marri said there are 1,904 Levies and police personnel but only 150 of them are performing their duties. Accusing the district police officer, deputy commissioner and other law enforcement agency officials, she claimed that personnel are being inducted into the Levies force in return for a bribe of Rs300,000 each.

Other lawmakers including Zahoor Buledi, Abdul Khaliq and Moulvi Sarwar also urged the government to take all necessary steps to maintain order in this region, suggesting that tribal elder concerned also help the law enforcers for booking the culprits involved in these crimes.

On behalf of the provincial government, home minister Zafar Zehri said the government is sincere in its efforts to restore peace to the province. “Law enforcers are trying their utmost to recover the kidnapped Hindu people, particularly Lakmi Chand Garji,” he said, adding that the government had allocated Rs500 million to equip the police and Balochistan Levies.

Talking about missing persons, Zafar Zehri said the government was given a list of 102 missing persons of which many have been traced while only 55 cases remain unsolved.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2011.