Pak SC asks spy agencies to give closed-door briefing on Balochistan violence

Islamabad, Mar 23 (ANI): Pakistan's Supreme Court has asked spy agencies to give a closed-door briefing on the violence in Balochistan, identify hostile areas and explain reasons for the unrest in the province.

At a hearing on Thursday, the court further asked Balochistan's chief secretary Ahmed Bakhash Lehri to give a report on the incidents of target killings and arrests of the accused over the past three years.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry is hearing a petition filed by the Balochistan High Court Bar Association on the province's law and order situation and target killings.

At an earlier hearing, the Military Intelligence (MI) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had requested that they give an in-camera briefing on the Balochistan issue. The attorney general of Pakistan had told the bench that the ISI and MI wanted to brief the court in chamber, a request that the apex court finally accepted. Both top spy agencies have already submitted their classified reports on the matter, The Express Tribune reports.

The court observed that it was the duty of the police and politicians to keep the situation stable in Balochistan.

On Tuesday, the court had advised the government to convene a grand Baloch jirga to restore order in the volatile province. Chaudhry had said that the chieftains of all tribes in the province, including the Bugti, Marri, Achakzai, Mengal and Raisani tribe, should jointly find a peaceful solution to the problem.

While dismissing the performance of government officials, the court reposed trust in the Baloch themselves.

"The Baloch people are more loyal to the country than anyone," Chaudhry added. (ANI)