Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar has said that non-state actors in Balochistan were involved in human rights violations but rights bodies had failed to condemn them. The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday took up the issue of enforced disappearances and summoned the caretaker prime minister. Kakar duly appeared before the court and said that only an idiot and stupid person would support enforced disappearances. “Who would be idiot and stupid to do advocacy of enforced disapearances,” . Kakar underscored that common people in Balochistan were subjected to attacks by non-state actors saying that three months ago people were burnt alive on the Coastal Highway. He said rights bodies should criticise non-state actors. People are being killed on ethnic lines but everyone is silent, he said.

Kakar said there was armed insurgency in Balochistan. A former chief justice was assassinated after his retirement, he said adding that no country would allow armed groups to exist within its border. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani heard the case. When the hearing formally began, Attorney General Mansoor Usman began his argument. The court interrupted him to ask if more people had gone missing since the earlier list was submitted. The attorney general told the court that there were 12 people on the original list and three were still missing. Nine were found in the CTD custody, he said. The attorney general said from another list of 26 people at least two were found in Afghanistan.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)