Balochistan High Court dissatisfied with probe

BHC expresses dissatisfaction over an investigation into the killing of 10 passengers hailing from Punjab.

QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court (BHC) has expressed dissatisfaction over an investigation into the killing of 10 passengers, hailing from Punjab, on the National Highway in Kachhi district in August and summoned the deputy commissioner and assistant commissioner Kachhi at the next hearing.

A divisional bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Muhammad Noor Meskanzai issued these directives on Friday. The reader of the deputy commissioner Kachhi submitted a letter in the court, stating that 12 persons travelling in a passenger bus from Sadiqabad, in Punjab, to Quetta were ambushed and shot by unidentified men on August 13. Ten of them died on the spot and the remaining two received injuries.

“The incident took place in the jurisdiction of the naib tehsildar Mach and he is supposed to investigate the case and submit the challan in a competent court of law. The naib tehsildar presently posted at Mach is a new appointee and lacks proper knowhow of investigation. Moreover, he is unable to properly investigate the case and arrest the culprits,” the letter said. “Keeping in view the importance of the case, the commissioner of Nasirabad division had been requested to approach the home & tribal affairs department to assign the investigation to the Crimes Branch.”

The chief justice expressed serious concern, saying that it showed the incompetence of the deputy commissioner, Kachhi at Dhadar and other officials concerned. He also regretted that the home & tribal affairs department has not taken any initiative to investigate the matter, let alone apprehend the criminals.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2010.