Senators lash out at Balochistan situation
Members criticise foreign policy, say Pakistan becoming an American colony.
ISLAMABAD:
Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haidri from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam - Fazl (JUI-F) has asked the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the law and order situation in Pakistan.
“It is due to the wrong policies of the government that law and order has deteriorated,” he told the Senate session on Thursday.
Haidri said that for the past ten years, people are being terrorised and killed in Balochistan after being portrayed as terrorists.
“The Aghaz-e-Haqooq Balochistan package is also being politicised and the privileged people are taking direct advantage of that,” Haidri said, adding that the Supreme Court takes notice of a minor incident like a traffic jam in Karachi but no heed is paid to kidnappings and killings in Balochistan. “American and Nato forces violate our territory and kill our people but nothing is being done. It seems Pakistan has permitted such acts and is becoming an American colony.”
Senator Ishaq Dar of the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) said that there was no governance in Balochistan and external forces were instigating unrest in the region. Agreeing with him, Haidri said that various intelligence agencies of the world were operating in the area. “The enemy wants to divide the country and get a hold of our nuclear assets. But unfortunately, the government is least interested and is pursuing the same policies as those in the Musharraf era,” he said.
Senator Maulana Gul Naseeb of the JUI-F said that kidnapping for ransom has become a profitable business and the feudal system was making the poor poorer as the rich became richer. “People with money rule the country and their interests are safeguarded while the common man does not have access to justice, leading to chaos in the country.”
He also criticised Pakistan’s foreign policy, saying it favoured the Americans instead of ensuring national interest. “The intelligence agencies are busy protecting politicians, while militants roam around freely.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 5th, 2010.
Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haidri from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam - Fazl (JUI-F) has asked the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the law and order situation in Pakistan.
“It is due to the wrong policies of the government that law and order has deteriorated,” he told the Senate session on Thursday.
Haidri said that for the past ten years, people are being terrorised and killed in Balochistan after being portrayed as terrorists.
“The Aghaz-e-Haqooq Balochistan package is also being politicised and the privileged people are taking direct advantage of that,” Haidri said, adding that the Supreme Court takes notice of a minor incident like a traffic jam in Karachi but no heed is paid to kidnappings and killings in Balochistan. “American and Nato forces violate our territory and kill our people but nothing is being done. It seems Pakistan has permitted such acts and is becoming an American colony.”
Senator Ishaq Dar of the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) said that there was no governance in Balochistan and external forces were instigating unrest in the region. Agreeing with him, Haidri said that various intelligence agencies of the world were operating in the area. “The enemy wants to divide the country and get a hold of our nuclear assets. But unfortunately, the government is least interested and is pursuing the same policies as those in the Musharraf era,” he said.
Senator Maulana Gul Naseeb of the JUI-F said that kidnapping for ransom has become a profitable business and the feudal system was making the poor poorer as the rich became richer. “People with money rule the country and their interests are safeguarded while the common man does not have access to justice, leading to chaos in the country.”
He also criticised Pakistan’s foreign policy, saying it favoured the Americans instead of ensuring national interest. “The intelligence agencies are busy protecting politicians, while militants roam around freely.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 5th, 2010.