While the government is still technically in place, its legitimacy came under closer scrutiny after the Supreme Court questioned its constitutional status given that it had lost the authority to govern the province following its interim order last month.
A two-member bench headed by the chief justice and comprising Justice Jawwad S Khawaja was hearing the case underway in the Supreme Court.
Raisani appears in court
Balochistan Chief Minister Aslam Raisani also appeared in court for the hearing.
Already under the scanner following a Supreme Court order, Raisani’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) membership was suspended for three months for allegedly ‘violating party policies’.
Raisani, in a press conference, had announced that he would appear before the Supreme Court on Friday along with other coalition partners in the law and order case and defend himself.
On Akbar Bugti killing
As the hearing commenced, the attorney general read out the interior secretary’s report on the Balochistan issue.
He said that the entire matter began after Akbar Bugti was killed and that those involved in his killing were responsible for the issues faced by the province.
The attorney general added that the province was going towards elections in two months and said that even the Balochistan court had accepted that the province was a victim of distractions since 2006.
Justice Chaudhry said that the court had ordered for elections so that the situation in the province would improve.
Predicting that the attorney general intended to argue, the chief justice told him to say whatever he wanted to in a written statement.
Rehman Malik on non-state actors
Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who was also present at the hearing, blamed the Taliban and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) among others of being responsible for the unrest. He also prayed that the court give him a chance to explain the matter in detail.
In response, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja said that President Asif Ali Zardari’s statement, that not briefing but initiatives are needed, was nice.
Rejecting Malik’s plea – where he requested the court to issue an order that enabled the provincial government to continue – the chief justice said that its decision on the Balochistan government remained intact.
Resolving issues
The attorney general argued that imposing an emergency or governor rule was the president’s right, and added that apart from peace, the Balochistan issue had political motives as well.
Justice Chaudhry remarked asking if there was a bigger injustice than the chief minister’s own nephew being killed.
He criticized the attorney general and said that while the governor, chief minister and chief secretary were being attacked, he sat in Islamabad thinking everything is fine.
Saying that harsh realities of life need to be accepted as well, the chief justice added that resolving issues requires effort.
The hearing of the case was then adjourned till November 20.
COMMENTS (7)
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@Adnan Manzoor: Of course it did! It has demolished itself to the extant that ordinary folks speculate openly the Chief Jjustice, and some of his brother judges, to be personally involved in the crimes of 'obstruction of justice' and 'cover up', if not outright, suspect him to be an active accomplice in crimes of balckmailing and exhortation of a businessman a citizen of Pakistan.
Kindly do not let repeat the situation and outcome of 1971 :-(
Please look at the killings in Karachi. Citizens throughout the country need safety and security
All of above!
**this internal bickering is the reason why we are standing at this juncture, Raisanis, Bugtis, CJ and Rehman malik are the personalities which will come and go in the pages of history. Only the institutions will be left behind and we should worry about them. Balochistan is the integral part of Pakistan and to relate it with East Pakistan is criminal. East Pakistan was a unique geo political quagmire, balochistan has only to be freed from Sardari and Nawabi clutches. If one should gather data that how much funding has been provided to the province, some people will jump from the seats. The sardars got 80% of the chunk and left rest of the 20% to contractors and thakedars, NOTHING WAS LEFT OR THE PEOPLE OF BALOCHISTAN.
ET ! i will request you to dig out the funds given to Balochistan Government starting from 2000 onward, people deserve to know the actual scenario.
Had'nt SC lost its constitutional authority when it violated constitution and allowed a dictator to be the head of the state and amend constitution? had'nt SC failed to perform its constitutional duty to dispense justice by piling up thousands of cases of people who are being rotten in jails because our holy cow dont have time for them? Its a great shame that my generation is going through a period where its future is determined by some idiots..
PPP is to be blamed for accepting Supra Constitutional orders from the court. If the constitution can be violated by the courts, what stops others.
Raisani's government has created mess in the last over four years, has completely failed to bring peace in Balochistn ,balming taliban, terrorists,and outsiders for the unrest shows the government/s both provencial and centre remained incapable to protect the people of Balochistn. What a shameful rule in the name of democracy where nobody is taking responsibility of his ineffeciency, and failure.This regime has been the worst than that of the prvious regimes.