QUETTA Paramilitary FC troops were deployed in the city and 11 policemen were arrested on Tuesday as provincial government acted to restore order, following violent protests on Monday by police personnel against their low salary.
Cases have been registered against 250 policemen for disrupting life in the city and an inquiry is under way.
It is learnt that the government decided to deploy Frontier Corps after receiving information that a large number of police personnel did not report for duty for the second day.
“FC troops are guarding the civil secretariat, other important government offices, and roads leading to Governor's House and Chief Minister's House,” a senior official said.
However, a police department spokesman said that all policemen who had abstained from work on Monday returned on Tuesday and performed their duty.
Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani said the government would punish policemen who had broken into the Governor's and Chief Minister's Houses and created a law and order situation in the city.
“The custodians of law will definitely face action in accordance with law for not abiding by law,” he said in a statement. The government removed top police officers from their posts.
According to an official notification Capital City Police Officer Abid Hussain Notkani and Deputy Inspector General (operations) Shahid Nizam Durrani have been ordered to report to the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD).
Commandant and Project Director of Raising of Balochistan Constabulary, Shariq Hasib Bangulzai, has been made an OSD and directed to report to the S&GAD.
Sibi Regional Police Officer Ghulam Shabbir Shiekh has been given the additional charge of CCPO Quetta and Khuzdar RPO Asif Ejaz Sheikh will hold the additional charge of DIG (operations).
The government has decided to register criminal cases and initiate departmental inquiry against officers and men of police forces for taking law into their own hands and disrupting peace and order in the city.
Sources said that a list of police officers involved in acts of violence was being prepared.
Eleven police personnel, including a deputy superintendent, posted at the Police Training College were arrested and taken to the Cantonment police station for interrogation.
The sources said that the 250 police officers and men against whom cases had been registered were accused of breaking into Governor's and Chief Minister's Houses, firing at various places, blocking roads, burning tyres and harassing citizens.
The Civil Lines police have registered a case against some police officers on written complaints of journalists that they had been manhandled and threatened by them.
The arsenal depots of Balochistan Constabulary and Police Training College in Quetta were sealed by government officials in the presence senior police officers and Frontier Corps on Tuesday.
Provincial Home Secretary Akbar Durrani told Dawn that koth in the BC headquarters and PTC were sealed and weapons had not been issued to personnel.
“We have taken this step as precautionary measure,” he said.
He said that personnel of Balochistan Constabulary, Police Training College, police telecommunication and some men of Anti-Terrorist Force had gone on strike while district police had not taken part in the protest.
Meanwhile, a large number of policemen held a protest demonstration in Loralai town on Tuesday, shouting slogans against the government. They dispersed peacefully after some time.
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