QUETTA, May 21: Annoyed by slow progress in the recovery of missing persons, the Supreme Court has ordered the secretaries of defence and interior as well as principal secretaries to the prime minister and governor and chief minister of Balochistan to appear before it in person on Tuesday to explain why the court’s orders had not been complied with so far. “The missing persons’ problem is a burning issue and main cause for the deteriorating law and order situation in Balochistan. There must be a political solution to the problem because without it the situation could not be brought under control,” Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry observed.

A three-judge bench comprising the chief justice, Justice Khilji Arif Hussian and Justice Jawad S. Khwaja is hearing a petition on the law and order situation and human rights violations in Balochistan at the Quetta registry of Supreme Court.

The chief justice asked the law enforcement and intelligence agencies to produce the missing persons if they were in their custody.

Otherwise, he warned, the court would issue an order in this regard. “The court will play its role in bringing peace to Balochistan and ensuring security and protection to life and property of its people,” the CJP said, adding that all stakeholders would have to ensure rights of the people of Balochistan.

The Advocate General of Balochistan, Amanullah Kanrani, informed the court that there had been an improvement in the recovery of missing persons and maintenance of law and order in the province.

But the chief justice expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of law enforcement agencies and termed it “zero progress”.

“Relevant law enforcement agencies have not been obeying the court’s orders. The court ordered them at the last hearing in Quetta to ensure the early recovery of missing persons and produce them before it if they are wanted in any case,” he said.

Mr Kanarani said Abdul Zakir, who had disappeared from Mastung one-and-a-half years ago, has now reached home. Two other missing persons from Marwar area, Sanaullah and Shahnawaz, and another from Quetta had appeared in Karachi and they were being interrogated at a police station in connection with the Lyari unrest, he added.

“Body of a missing person was found in Khuzdar,” he said, adding that there was evidence of involvement of some sensitive agencies in the kidnapping of 16 other people.

The chief justice observed that the masses had exhausted their energy in the struggle for the sake of justice, but they were not being provided security and protection by law enforcement agencies and rights by other stakeholders.

He directed the principal secretaries to the prime minister and governor and chief minister of Balochistan to submit their reports explaining whether the court’s orders regarding the recovery of missing persons and maintenance of law and order had been implemented in letter and spirit.

“The government has failed to normalise the situation, restore peace and curb heinous crimes in the province. There are unabated incidents of target killing, but no killer has been arrested so far,” the CJP observed.

He regretted that the authorities concerned were not complying with the court’s orders.

Justice Khilji Arif said the authorities did not appear to be serious about the recovery of missing persons and restoration of peace in Balochistan. “It is observed that the stakeholders are also not taking any interest in restoring rights to people,” he said, adding that negligence on the part of the authorities had caused an existential threat. He wondered why law enforcement agencies were not taking action against criminal gangsters. “Why the government is not giving latest weapons and equipment to the Balochistan police to deal with criminals.”

The chief justice took notice of Kabali vehicles (illegal and non-custom paid vehicles) and ordered the customs department to ban the entry of such vehicles into Quetta with immediate effect.

“The customs department should take departmental action against illegal vehicles and motorcycles and submit a report to the court in 15 days,” the CJP said.

He expressed annoyance over the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s decision to allow mobile phone service providers to issue 50 SIMs on one national identity card. He directed the PTA to submit a report about fake SIMs. “Licences of mobile phone service providers should be cancelled if they do not comply with the court’s orders,” he said.

The court adjourned the hearing to Tuesday.