QUETTA - Stressing that state within state won’t be allowed, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Wednesday directed the defence secretary to submit details of arms licences and route permits for duty-free import of cars into the province.
Heading a three-judge SC bench, hearing the Balochistan law and order case, the chief justice said the court would conduct the hearing on a daily basis.
The CJ asked the Balochistan IGP as to why he was oblivious to the situation in the province, especially in Khuzdar where armed people go on rampage while the police had been dragging their feet over the matter.
He slammed poor performance on the part of police. Resenting the delay in posting of fresh policemen in the province, the chief justice summoned details. Had the law taken its course, the situation would have been improved, the chief justice said.
“You are not cooperating with us ... Why the people, who granted arms licences and vehicle permits aren’t cooperating with the court?” he asked Commander Shahbaz who represented the Defence Ministry. “You should keep your words. Provide us the list of permits.”
The commander replied: “I will summit these lists to the court as soon as I get them. The defence secretary has issued directives to this end.” The court ordered the defence secretary to bring the lists to the court.
This case may be turned to a contempt of court case if the detail of illegal arms and routes are not provided, the court observed.
Commander Shahbaz told the court that he would submit agency’s reply sealed in an envelope (in camera). The court order that the DCOs who were given the charge of DPOs be removed.
SC orders to produce
13 wani girls
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Wednesday heard suo moto notice case of declaring 13 girls as wani by a jirga in Balochistan’s Dera Bugti area, ordering the relevant authorities to produce the affectees from the remote area of the province.
A three-member bench of the apex court, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Jawwad S Khawaja heard the case.
Reports said a jirga in Dera Bugti had decided to give away 13 girls in marriage to settle a murder-related conflict between two tribes last month, prompting the Chief Justice to take suo moto notice of the incident.
The CJP had issued orders to MPA Mir Tariq Masuri, who had allegedly chaired the jirga, and all members of the tribal jirga to appear before the jury in Supreme Court’s Quetta Registry on Wednesday.
Masuri turned up and said that no such incident had taken place. He said that he was in Multan and came from there after hearing the news on media about the court’s suo moto.
“It is just a propaganda to hurt my uncle’s political credibility in the area,” the MPA claimed. The CJP that said the issue could not be resolved unless all related facts emerge.
Deputy Commissioner Dera Bugti held out assurance to the court that all people involved were being traced out and would be produced in the court.