ISLAMABAD - Expressing annoyance over the news conference held by Frontier Corps (FC) Inspector General (IG) Major-General Obaidullah Khan Khattak on June 2 regarding the worsening law and order situation of Balochistan, the Supreme Court on Monday sought the transcript of the press talk.
A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry resumed the hearing of the matter pertaining to law and order situation and targeted killings in the province.
During the hearing, the chief justice observed that Balochistan law and order situation was still unstable, but the IG FC was addressing press conference, an action contrary to the court orders.
The court noted that it was not the business of an official in uniform to hold press conferences, posing a question whether the FC IG wanted confrontation with the court.
The chief justice remarked if this was the conduct of the FC IG then why not the army chief be summoned. He said the court could invoke Article 190 of the Constitution and summon the army chief. “We can pass an order (on the subject).”
The chief justice said the court wanted to know what the role of the constitutional government was and that the time had come to summon ‘someone with authority’.
Chief Justice Chaudhry cautioned that the apex court would call Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ask him how the country should be run and what he (the army chief) could do.
He said the video of the press conference would also be sent to the army chief and the defence secretary as well.
Raja Irshad, the counsel for the FC IG, told the court that the press conference was held to highlight the acts of foreign agencies. Upon this, the chief justice said if there were foreign agencies present in Balochistan, then the responsibility lies with the federal government to deal with them.
The chief justice observed that the situation of the province was alarming and deteriorating instead of any improvement.
The Chief Justice in his remarks further said that the bodies of the three missing persons, about whom he had passed an order for recovery, were thrown on the road, adding that 20 people had been killed in the province during the past two to three days.
He also asked the counsel for Major-General Khattak that every other case was against the FC and bodies had been found of those persons who provided evidence against them.
Drawing his attention, the chief justice further said the accused should be tried.
Justice Jawwad remarked that some 835 similar incidents had been reported so far, but no one was arrested. “We are neither enemy of the agencies nor the agencies are our enemy, we are ready to give credit, but they must perform,” he added.
The Chief Justice recalled that Balochistan MPA Mir Sadiq Umrani had given a statement, in which he said he was an eyewitness of the FC rounding up two persons.
During the hearing, Attorney General Irfan Qadir presented a report pertaining to the missing persons in Balochistan. He said details of 123 missing persons had been established and 23 of them were recovered. He said the government also appreciated the efforts of the court regarding Balochistan issue.
The lawyer representing mobile phone companies, Raza Kazim, told the court that the PTA had allowed only issuance of five SIMs to a person, adding that the companies had spent $30 million to provide tracking system to agencies, but they did not cooperate with the police.
The court adjourned the hearing till June 19.


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