Balochistan : EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLING & THE MISSING PERSONS

Editorial

The security climate had improved a little bit following stormy hearing of some cases by the treasury Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in Quetta. This improvement in the climate was confirmed when relatives of the missing persons ended their boycott of the court proceeding and started appearing before the prime Bench exposing the propaganda campaign of the State functionaries that they are angels and not involved in extra-judicial arrest of people from the political front. A few female relatives appeared before the Supreme Court and directly accused the State functionaries of extrajudicial kidnapping and arrest using so many official vehicles and hundreds of people of the neighbourhood witnessing the drama during the day and night. A spokesman of the Voice of Missing Persons informed that his organization would produce all the close relatives of thousands of missing persons from all parts of Balochistan if the Chief Justice ensured regular and constant hearing of their cases in Quetta. It may be mentioned here that the security establishment and its spokesman Rehman Malik always spoke with one voice that there are only 47 missing persons. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan claimed that over 172 cases are registered with the HRCP alone. When female relatives of the missing persons appeared before the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the court ordered their production following specific charges that who had kidnapped them and from where. It is hoped that all the missing persons in the official custody will be recovered ending this sad chapter of our bitter history and the State will restrain its disorderly functionaries from illegal arrests, detentions and killing in custody.
The guns of the Supreme Court had been targeted on the police, a civilian agency, that remained helpless when score of vehicles from other security agencies had whisked away the wanted persons publicly and in front of hundreds of neighbours and onlookers. Other functionaries primarily responsible for strategic reasons had been spared for good and in the interest of better political and security climate. It is an understandable fact of the case.
In any case, it is good development and the Voice of Missing Persons also took a wise decision to appear before the Supreme Court exposing the lies and slanders by producing relatives of all the missing persons from all parts of Balochistan.
Finally, it is hoped that the Supreme Court proceedings will end the miseries of the close relatives of all the missing persons and the State functionaries will release all of them before the Supreme Court holds yet another stormy hearing in Quetta or in Islamabad. It should improve the political climate which should move towards the process of political reconciliation in Balochistan resolving all the constitutional and political issues through dialogue. We will appreciate peaceful resolution of the Baloch conflict in the interest of national sovereignty and integrity so that lasting and durable peace in Balochistan forcing the hawks in the establishment to take the back seat in the interest of Pakistan and its solidarity. The chosen representatives of the people at the Centre and in the province should come on the driving seat and handle the situation and regain the confidence of the people, mainly close relatives of the missing persons, so that the issue is resolved for ever and its facts are buried in the history books only.
The security environment around Pakistan demands sanity among the rulers making a correct analysis of the dangerous security situation when Pakistan is trapped in a serious regional conflict and the international forces are playing a key role. Pakistan should not provide any chance to outside forces to interfere in the internal affairs of Pakistan, mainly Balochistan, so that the world powers should advance their interests in this region. Balochistan is in the forefront of the conflict and all eyes of the regional powers are set on Balochistan watching developments keenly and closely. The Supreme Court proceeding will hopefully defuse the situation and reverse the process ensuring regional security and stability when there is peace and tranquility in Balochistan.