Police powers: FC mandate extended by interior minister?

ISLAMABAD:

The Balochistan government’s decision to extend the Frontier Corps’ (FC) mandate to exercise police powers in the province for another month came on the directives of the interior minister, a senior official of the provincial government claimed. FC’s two-month authorisation for police powers expired on November 2.

A high profile apex committee of the province headed by Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi had asked Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani to get his cabinet’s approval for extending the FC’s mandate. In addition to the chief minister, the province’s chief secretary and home secretary, corps commander, FC inspector general and police inspector general attended that meeting.

The chief minister, however, failed to hold a cabinet meeting before the FC’s two-month mandate expired. According to the political source, Raisani had been reluctant to extend the FC’s mandate as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2012.