Balochistan government wants all agencies to function within ambit of law: Supreme Court told

The Balochis-tan government on Tuesday recommended that all the state agencies should work by remaining within the ambit of law to control prevailing law and order situation in the province.
The advocate general Balochistan Salahuddin Mengal and chief secretary Balochistan Ahmed Buksh Lehri presented a report in the Supreme Court on deteriorating law and order situation in Balochistan, with complete data of various crimes being committed in the province along with suggestions to put the house in order.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry with Justice Muhammad Sair Ali and Justice Ghulam Rabbani was hearing a petition filed by Balochistan High Court Bar Association (BHCBA) president against deteriorating law and order situation in Balochistan.
In its suggestion, the provincial government has proposed that if a person is arrested, he must be kept in a police station, and be presented before a magistrate within 24 hours. He should be interrogated by a police officer, If the person is required by any other agency for interrogation, the report said, it must be done in the presence of a police officer.
The court was informed that Balochistan government is likely to hold an All Party Conference and tribal jirga to identify genuine grievances faced by the people and suggest remedial measures. Anti smuggling duties of frontier constabulary (FC) and Pakistan Coast Guard should be confined to the unfrequented routes along the border and the coast, the report said, adding the main highways should remain open and checking of illegal activates on the highways should be undertaken not by anyone else except an authorised agency.
The report said that Frontier Corps Act has been introduced which will empower deputy commissioner/political agents to have all type of operational control on FC, reducing complaints against the Frontier Corps. According to report, in 2010, around 244 persons were murdered in target-killing, 56 missing, 59 were kidnapped for ransom and 123 dead bodies were recovered from different areas.
The court asked the provincial government to submit the report to the federal government as well, besides directing Chief Secretary Balochistan to take ISI, MI and IB officials onboard to control crimes in the province, as under the Constitution, they are also answerable to the court.
Meanwhile, the court pointed out that there was no co-ordination among the departments. The chief justice said that at least the Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary of the province should be aware of the whereabouts of the missing persons. The petitioner Hadi Shakeel Ahmed alleged that the near and dear ones of the missing persons were dead sure that they were kidnapped by the agencies. The chief justice remarked, "short-term measures are needed as if the governor, chief secretary and Inspector General Police Balochistan are not safe, then how an ordinary citizen could feel safe and secure." He asked chief secretary Balochistan to concentrate on maintaining law and order in the first place.
The AG Balochistan told the court that police controls only 15 per cent of the total area of the province while rest is under Levies', controlled by the federal government. Justice Chaudhry said that provincial authorities should be independent of maintaining law and order being there primary responsibility. When Justice Ghulam Rabbani asked that how many Balochis were absorbed up till now as there were 6,000 jobs for Balochs in federal government, the chief secretary replied that they have accommodated 5,000 locals in the government sector, adding job opportunities were also available at Gwadar port. The hearing was adjourned for four weeks.