Killing of 45 people in Khuzdar: Malik suggests constitution of a committee to probe killings

Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Thursday suggested that Senate should constitute a committee to investigate the killings of 45 persons within a short span of 65 days in district Khuzdar of Balochistan, due to negligence of the local administration.
Speaking on the floor of the House, Malik said that the committee under the chairmanship of Mir Hasil Bazinjo be formed to ascertain the causes of poor law and order situation in Khuzdar and should summon the concerned authorities, including the DCO to brief the panel about tragic killing of 45 people between August 13 to October 18. "I will personally assist this committee as its member where district Khuzdar administration would be summoned. If they are found involved in some wrongdoing they should be brought to book," Malik said.
Senator Mir Hasil Bazinjo of National Party while speaking on a point of order informed the Upper House that as many as 45 people had been killed in the area who include politicians, student leaders and common men between August 13 to October 18. The city witnessed routine life only for eight days while rest of the days it remained virtually closed, he added.
"Every well-to-do citizen of Khuzdar irrespective of his/her ethnic or religious affiliation has started migrating from the city to some safer place as there is nobody to listen to them," Mir said. He said markets were closed and people had no option except buying rations from adjoining cities. He said after losing hope of any sort of help from the provincial and federal governments, the Army and the intelligence agencies, the other day residents of Khuzdar held collective prayers, in which some 7500 people participated.
Bazenjo warned that if no attention was paid to the issue while terming it a provincial problem, the situation would reach to a point of no return. He said the residents of the area caught several persons red-handed while committing crimes including murder but they were being release after spy agencies owned them.
Earlier, speaking on a point of order regarding law and order situation in the country with particular reference to violence in Balochistan, PPP Senator Mian Raza Rabbani presented five-point agenda to resolve Balochistan issue. Rabbani called for immediate implementation of 'Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan' package and grant of complete provincial autonomy to the province as per the spirit of 18th Constitutional Amendment.
He said that FC should be made answerable directly to the Chief Minister of the province. "In near past it was claimed that FC was given under the aegis of CM but the claim turned false soon after the announcement," Rabbani said, adding that to achieve appropriate results there was a need to curtail the unlimited powers of FC.
Rabbani said federal government should come forward with some acceptable solution to the issue of missing persons in the province. He said government should ensure free, fair and transparent general elections in the province in future rather than selection of some hand-picked politicians, as was done during past elections. Rabbani concluded with the suggestion that recommendations of the Cabinet Committee on Balochistan should be made public at the earliest, besides discussing these in the house.