The Baloch Hal News

QUETTA: At least five people, including three policemen were wounded in a hand grenade attack in Hub, industrial town of Balochistan, on Saturday night.

According to reports reaching here, a police mobile was passing from Sirat chowk of the city when unidentified armed men lobbed a hand grenade on it. Grenade exploded with a huge blast wounding three policemen and two passersby besides, scattering windowpanes of nearby buildings. The assailants escaped from the site after the attack.

Police and other law enforcement agencies rushed to the site soon after the blast and moved the injured to nearby hospital for treatment where injured policemen were identified as Sarwar, Shahid and Hameed.

No group has claimed responsibility for the grenade attack so far.

Police have registered a case against unidentified people and started a search to arrest the accused persons.

The Baloch Hal News

QUETTA:  The Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Quetta Nazir Kurd has said police Surgeon Dr. Baqir Shah, who was killed on Thursday, had been offered security but had declined the official gesture saying that he was capable of handling the situation according to local tribal standard.

He said this while addressing a press conference here on Saturday.

He strongly dispelled the impression that Dr. Baqir Shah the forensic investigator of Kharotabad incident was not provided security by police. “A senior police official formally met deceased doctor and offered him to take security but he turn down the offer,” he added.

DIG operations informed that police investigation teams were investigating the murder of Baqir Shah and police had taken several suspects into the custody who were being interrogated.

Referring to bomb blast at the residence of Shafiq Mengal on Friday night, he said that attackers used a similar vehicle in the attack which was being used by Shafiq Mengal to deceive the body guards at the gate.

He said that according to eyewitnesses the accused left the site immediately after parking the car near the gate of resident of Shafiq Mengal and adding that 15 people were killed and 35 others wounded in the explosion.

He said 14 vehicles were also destroyed in the blast and 60-70 kg explosives were used for this purpose. The chassis and engine number of vehicle used in the attack were being checked to ascertain whether it was registered and unregistered, Nazir Kurd added.

He said that two investigation teams comprising DIG Investigation and DIG Operations had been constituted to investigate the blast. “Six hand grenades were also recovered near the residence of Shafiq Mengal. These were defused by the police,” he added.

Responding to a question, he said that police was making all out efforts to ensure the security of people and curb the incidents of kidnapping for ransom.

He said during past six month six gangs of kidnapping for ransom had been busted and 20 kidnapped were recovered.

The Baloch Hal News

QUETTA: Doctors in Balochistan have decided to observe three days of mourning against the killing of senior physician Dr. Baqir Shah which will lead to the partial closure of at least two main hospitals in the provincial capital.

According to a joint decision issued by the Pakistan Paramedics Association (PMA), the largest representative organization of doctors and the Baloch Doctors’ Forum, physicians will observe strike at the Bolan Medical College Medical Complex and the Civil Hospital, two of Balochistan’s largest hospitals, against the killing of Dr. Baqir. Their statement, however,  did not mention the timings of the protest nor did it indicate if both the hospitals will remain completely shut during the next three days.

The Baloch Hal News

QUETTA: Dr. Baqir Shah, a police surgeon, had conducted the postmortem of the five foreigners, including three women who were brutally killed by the firing of security forces in Kharotabad area on May 17 this year. He had come up with a report that the victims were killed by the bullets that contradicted to the claims of security forces that the foreigners were killed due to explosion of a hand grenade that was in their hand.

Dr. Baqir Shah had made it public that he was receiving threats to his life after the statements he had made in the media and in front of the inquiry tribunal. He had raised fingers at some “quarters” for pressurizing him to change the earlier post mortem report and make it look supportive of the official stance of the police and the Frontier Corps.

Besides the threats, Dr. Shah was badly beaten up by a group of ten people attired in police uniform on Quetta’s Prince Road in a similar attempt to force him to change his statement against the local police and the FC. Later on, he was taken to the City Police Station.

Taking notice of that incident, the inquiry tribunal, which was headed by Balochistan High Court judge, Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, had recommended the suspension of two sub-house officers (SHOs). In addition, Dr. Shah had reiterated threats to his life in front of the tribunal and complained that the government had not provided him security.

The Baloch Hal Monitoring Desk

QUETTA:  The Balochistan government wanted to push the matter of massive corruption of more than Rs 500 million in purchase of furniture and science equipment in Education Department under the carpet as instead of ensuring the inquiry of this huge bungling through an independent institution, the matter of investigation has been handed over to Chief Minister’s Inspection Team (CMIT), sources within the Educational Department told The Nation.

The condition of buildings of government educational institutions are not only in dilapidated condition in Balochistan but there is acute shortage of furniture and science equipment in them, they said.

The sources stated that the provincial government keeping in view the poor condition of colleges and schools had allocated Rs one billion in the budget of 2010-11 for missing facilities and repair of educational institutions.

They said that Rs 200 million were allocated for the colleges and Rs 800 million were allocated for schools.

The sources said that Rs 400 million out of Rs 800 million were allocated for the repair of schools of buildings and rest of amount was for the provision of other missing facilities including science equipment.

‘A big chunk of amount for the repair of schools has been embezzled which can be gauged from the fact that Rs 1.6 million was allocated for the repair of Govt High School Pakhtunabad and only two doors were installed from this huge amount’, the sources added. Similarly, they said funds were also misappropriated that were for the purchase of furniture and other items.

They said Chief Minister Balochistan had ordered for the investigation into the massive corruption, but the case had been handed over to CMIT.

There is an impression about the CMIT that ,whenever, a matter is put in cold storage then it is handed to CMIT. ‘So far many cases have been handed over to CMIT for investigation but there is no output’, sources said, adding, that the result of the massive scam would not be different if it was not handed over to any independent institution.

The sources further stated that if this corruption was properly investigated it could be one of the biggest corruption scandals of the current provincial government. (Courtesy: The Nation, Lahore)

By Mehmal Sarfraz

There are some people in this world who are just so brave, brutally honest and awe-inspiring that one cannot help but respect them. Many names come to mind when one thinks of Pakistanis who inspire these feelings. One such name is senior Baloch nationalist leader, Sardar Ataullah Mengal. A man of integrity, Mengal sahib is known to be a progressive, secular, liberal Baloch nationalist. When he was chief minister of Balochistan in 1972, he focused on education and industrial development for the neglected people of his province.

Unfortunately, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto dismissed the Balochistan government and Sardar Ataullah Mengal and other Baloch nationalist leaders were arrested. He spent many years in jail due to trumped-up charges in the Hyderabad Conspiracy Case. His 23-year-old son, Asad, was killed by intelligence agencies in Karachi, while his other son, Akhtar, who also served as chief minister of Balochistan, was arrested during the Musharraf regime. Despite his personal loss and suffering, the powers-that-be have not been able to break Mengal sahib’s spirit. He remains steadfast in his commitment to the Baloch cause.

In an interview with a private news channel on December 25, Sardar Ataullah Mengal refused to use the word ‘establishment’ for the army and the ISI because he thought it was a very polite term used to hide their names. He also made some statements that should give all Pakistanis some food for thought. “If you think there is any government [hakoomat] other than the army, you are mistaken. There was army’s rule, there is army’s rule and there will be army’s rule because they are the real rulers of Pakistan,” said Mengal sahib. This is an uncomfortable truth.

Pakistan is at a critical juncture. After nine years of military rule, democracy was finally restored in 2008 after an election. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) formed a coalition government but from day one moves have been afoot to undermine its credibility. Palace intrigues are a norm in our country. After more than three years of being in power, the democratically elected government is now under attack from all sides, be it the military ‘establishment’, the judiciary, the opposition or the general public. This government tried to appease the military in every way possible. Even after the May 2 raid that led to Osama bin Laden being killed by the Americans, the PPP stood by the military high command, much to the chagrin of those who have been asking for civilian supremacy for decades. The Memogate scandal changed everything. The military seems to be upset with the PPP but the government has finally stood up to it and made it quite clear that it will not go down without a fight. Some say tensions between them were somewhat defused after Prime Minister Gilani took direct digs at the army and the ISI that led General Kayani to issue a rather defensive statement that the army is “fully cognizant of its constitutional obligations and responsibilities”; others believe that the military has not backed down since it issued a veiled threat to the PPP when General Kayani said that “there can be no compromise on national security” in the same statement. This cat and mouse game will not end until and unless the issue of civil-military imbalance is addressed.

Those who are disillusioned with the current political setup need to realise that ours is a nascent democracy. The crises plaguing our country cannot be dealt with overnight. When a weak government is not allowed to function and conspiracies are hatched to destabilise it at every opportune moment, it can hardly deliver much. Despite all the problems this government faced, it did some amazing work in the shape of the 18th Amendment, the NFC Award, partial reforms in FATA, pro-women legislation, building a consensus on the war on terror, etc. This is not to say that the criticism levelled against the incumbents is completely unfair either. It could have performed better.

In this ‘land of the pure’, it is easy to blame the political class for all ills. What is more difficult is facing reality. The bitter truth is that since there is no civilian supremacy, the military top brass, both in the past and the present, has treated our country like its personal fiefdom. Let’s not forget that a large chunk of our budget goes to the military — the same military that has sent civilian governments packing many a time in the past, the same military that is killing its own people in Balochistan, the same military that has given overt and covert support to militant outfits, the same military that has a big hand in strengthening religious extremists, the same military that is involved in exporting terrorism across the border.

Sardar Ataullah Mengal pointed out the elephant in the room: “Until the politicians send the army back to the barracks, politics is nothing but a lie.” These words should serve as an eye-opener for not just our politicians but the entire Pakistani nation. Each democratically elected government should be allowed to complete its tenure. If the people are not happy with the ruling party, they should vote them out in the next election. The military will go back to the barracks and politics will be left to the civilians only when democracy is strengthened. Let’s work on achieving this goal.

The writer is Op-Ed Editor Daily Times. She can be reached at mehmal.s@gmail.com

The Baloch Hal News

QUETTA: Frontier Corps (FC) Inspector General Major General Ubaidullah Khattak on Tuesday ruled out the involvement of the Frontier Crops (FC), a federal paramilitary force entirely manned by non-Balochs from the Frontier region,  in the “kill and dump policy” and blamed Baloch nationalist organizations for being responsible for “90%” of the killing of the missing persons.

Addressing a press conference at FC Headquarters in Quetta on Tuesday, he said that the FC was present in various districts of Balochistan to maintain law and order.

“If tribal elders and members of civil society ensure peace in the province, then the FC will be withdrawn,” he said.

Khattak denied the allegations that his force was involved in enforced disappearances of Baloch youth and political activists.

Defending the FC existence, the FC chief said there had been decline in violence during this year as 1,328 incidents took place while there were 1,425 incidents of violence in 2010. According to information shared by FC, there were 110 rocket attacks in this year and there were 164 in last year. Similarly, 134 grenade attacks in this year and 168 during the last year.

The FC inspector general expressed his deep concern over increasing incidents of kidnapping for ransom and said it had become a lucrative business in Balochistan where 279 people were kidnapped last year. “Some influential and high profile people are involved in this business that it witnessing sharp rise,” Ubaidullah Khan said, adding that most of the incidents happened in Quetta, Dera Bugti, Sibi and Turbat.

He said the Shamsi airbase was in control of the Pakistan Army since December 11. “A board has been set up to compile a report on Shamsi airbase and it is possible that the army may hand over the control to the Frontier Crops,” he added.

He said that around 335 NATO containers and 41 NATO oil tankers were in different areas of Balochistan while around 91 NATO oil tankers had been sent to Karachi on the Balochistan government’s ordered. He said, “If anybody attacks our security forces we have the power to reply them.”

He condemned the attacks on the FC in November 20 in Bahlol Basti area of Musa Khail Coalmine Project where 14 people, including an FC major, were killed and 14 others sustained injuries. “The coalmine project is closed but we are sure we can start it again for the benefit of the local people,” he said.

Responding to a question, he said that the FC had adopted a new policy to recruit local people from Balochistan to increase their representation in the force. He said 1,000 vacant jobs would be filled in the next few months by recruiting local people for which qualification had been relaxed.

He said that around 1,500 personnel of the FC were being retired yearly and FC command had decided to recruit 1,000 personnel from Balochistan. The present representation of Balochistan in the force is 10.4 percent while the federal quota is 6 percent, he said, adding that Balochs from Dera Ghazi Khan would be counted in the Punjab quota and not the Balochistan quota.

He said that the first right on the resources was of the local people. He said that Chamalung coal project was successfully being run by local management under the army’s supervision while 4,500 students were getting education besides over 22,000 were given jobs directly and indirectly.

According to prosecution the NAB had received information that Akthar Muhammad a clerck of QDA had made assets of millions of rupees beyond his known source of income. After completion of investigation it was proved that clerck had made assets of 59 million rupees. He had also transferred some of these assets to the name of his wife.

The NAB had arrested Akthar Muhammad and filed a reference in Accountability Court Quetta –I comprising Zafar Ali Khosa. His wife was also nominated as co-accused in reference.

The Court after completion of arguments of parties’ counsels had reserved the judgment on reference.

Announcing judgment on reference Wednesday the court found Akthar Muhammad and his wife guilty of making assets beyond their known sources of income. The court awarded ten years imprisonment to Akthar Muhammad besides a fine of 50 million rupees.

The court also imposed a fine of 4.9 million rupees on wife of clerck.

This was revealed during the one day consultative meeting organized by National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) and the ALPH Consultants and Advocates on a study ‘Police Reporting, Investigation Mechanisms, Political Interference and [Lastly] Safety and Security/Harassment of the Victims from PolicePerspective’ here a local hotel on the other day. The meeting was organized as part of the research process to seek comments and recommendations from the experts and stakeholders on the report.

Objectives of thestudy include: review of complaint system, police reporting, investigationmechanisms, the institutional response, services, and mechanisms for access tothese services from gender perspective; identification of ways and means ofpolitical interference in policing; identification of ways and means ofdiscrimination meted out to women by the law enforcement agencies includingpolice and other relevant institutions; and review the resources and methods ofdata collection and monitoring of institutional performance at gender crimecell. The research was shared by Muhammad Aftab Alam, Executive Director ALPHConsultants and Advocates, a research-based consultancy, and discussed by Justice(R) Mehta Kailash Nath Kohli who also chaired the meeting.

The study revealedthat there is no forensic laboratory in the entire province and there are onlytwo designated posts for medico-legal officers in the entire province. Theabsence of such facilities, which are extremely important for timely andaccurate completion of investigation process hampers the timely completion ofthe investigation of the crimes.

Justice (R) Kohlishared that Pakistan has only 11.66% of conviction rate, which was even lowerthan the regional countries like India. The fundamental reason of such lowestconviction rate was because of faulty investigation process and loss ofevidence due to absence of forensic labs in the province and laws for theprotection of witnesses. He also stressed the need for a comprehensive reviewof laws and promulgation of new legislation that could ensure protection ofrights of women.

He regretted over theloop holes in the prosecution system and said that when prosecution failed tocollect evidences and later produced before the court, how Judge could convictan accused. He stressed for amendments for tougher laws for the trial ofterrorists and the onus should be on accused instead of prosecution. Hementioned the murders of two judges in Karachi in recent past and said thatprotection should be provided to judges.

Referring UnitedStates, he said that Judges had much protection and so much so, the judgesheard the cases while sitting behind tainted glasses to hide their identity.

He also regretted overthe appointment of judges even of apex courts contrary to merit and said thatso much so the candidates could not qualify the exams for session judges wereappointed in high courts as judges.  He said that when merit was ignoredin judges’ appointment how one could expect merit in the judgments.

Ms. Rikhsana AhmadAli, member of NCSW in Balochistan highlighted the need of women policestations and said that women police stations should set up in whole province atdistrict level with more trained and well-equipped staff.

According to reports reaching here, Muhammad Amir was sitting in his medical store in Sharag area when two armed attackers appeared at the scene and opened indiscriminate fire. Consequently, he sustained critical wounds and succumbed to his injuries instantly. The attackers escaped from the scene after committing the crime.

On getting information, personnel of Levies Force reached the crime scene and moved deceased to nearby government hospital for autopsy.

Sources said Muhammad Amir was a resident of Multan and was living in Sharag for the last many years.

After completion of autopsy, the body was handed over to heirs. However, motive behind the killing is yet to be known.

A case has been registered against unidentified people and further investigations into the murder were underway.

Earier in September, three people, including two officials of an oil and gas exploration company, were killed in Harnai district. Baloch Liberation Army had claimed responsibility for the killings.