Editorial: Combating heinous crime against humanity

There is a steep rise in heinous crime rate in Balochistan, once considered the most peaceful province with zero crime rates, thanks to the effective role of traditional society in combating crime for ages. It had become a routine matter hearing about crimes committed by lashkar of criminals looting passenger buses, trucks on highway or raiding many houses simultaneously in colonies in this provincial Capital.

It gives the impression that the Government had ignored the organized crime and heinous offences against the communities, if not patronizing it. Hardly any lashkar had been identified and busted by the law enforcing agencies, including the security agencies. We hope that there is no official support to the move to spread the sense of insecurity among the people in general by ignoring heinous crimes or patronizing notables, tribal elders forming gangs of criminals and bandits for loot and plunder. “Black spots” had been identified by the serious newspapers in their news and views columns in the past from where the buses, trucks and passing vehicles are waylaid and looted by lashkar of gangsters and bandits armed with sophisticated weapons. Or score of people taken hostage for ransom almost daily. In Quetta, score of houses are looted at the same time in residential colonies and police is found to be blank! So far not a single gang or lashkar had been busted and its members arrested. It seems that the police are not interested in containing the crime rate, not to speak of wiping it out completely.

Since the Provincial Government had its own priorities to run the administration and handle the unwieldy coalition Government, it is finding less time to address the issue of rampant crimes in the society, we hope that the Governor of Balochistan, who is also an eminent politician and tribal chief, will play a positive role in combating heinous crime against humanity. He will prevail on police and other security agencies to bust all the notorious gangs of criminals looting passengers on highways or involved in kidnapping for ransom cases in some parts of Balochistan. It should not be considered as interference in the affairs of the Provincial administration or undermining the Provincial Government. We are simply asking a positive role from one of the eminent sons of Balochistan who happened to be the Governor of Balochistan to play his destined role in protecting life and property of the innocent and law abiding citizens. He will definitely supplement the efforts of the Provincial Government in retaining a stable law and order regaining the status for Province of Balochistan to be a crime-free society.

All those notables, tribal elders or local Waderas playing the role of Patharidars (harbouring of criminals) should not be spared. It is impossible to form a lashkar of over hundred people and bring them all on the highways and start looting every one traveling on the highways. It should be unacceptable to all and should not be condoned by the civilized society to permit criminal minded Waderas or notables to harbour criminals and provide shelter to the gangster for committing crime against the civilized society. They are harbouring criminals today for money and tomorrow they will harbour terrorists for money. We hope that the Government will go into action immediately against all those harbouring criminals and sheltering gangsters involved in kidnapping for ransom in all parts of Balochistan and bordering areas of Sindh.

By any standard, Balochistan is a model province in the modern state of Pakistan where such crimes against the humanity are not permissible. The traditional society proposes instant death penalty for the criminals, including thieves. The Government, both Federal and Provincial, should pool its resources and launch a crackdown on organized crime deep inside Balochistan smashing all the gangs of criminals supported by the influential people. There should be no safe haven for the criminals and gangsters in Balochistan and the message should be loud and clear to all the notables and tribal elders patronizing gangs of criminals and bandits involved in highway robberies, hold ups and kidnapping for ransom.