New initiative: Highway police proposed for Balochistan

QUETTA: The Balochistan police proposed a separate force for maintenance of law and order on highways across the province, particularly to overcome the increasing incidents of robberies and hold-ups. Highway hold-ups and robberies witnessed a sharp rise during the past couple of years and people fear travelling on national highways now. “The Balochistan police has proposed a highway force like the one working in Punjab,” senior police officer of Balochistan told The Express Tribune. According to the Balochistan police, the personnel will patrol the highways regularly which will reduce the chances of robberies. The proposal has been sent to the federal government for approval. Transporters have protested against the highway hold-ups and recently a driver was shot dead while resisting the bandits. Some lawmakers from the Balochistan Assembly have also declared few sections of highway as ‘black spots’ where robberies and hold-ups take place frequently.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2012.