QUETTA: Balochistan Minister for Agriculture Sardar Abdul Rahman Khetran has claimed that the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) was receiving extortion money from coal mine owners.

While talking to media after a brief session of the provincial assembly on Monday, the minister said that “as per his own investigations”, a bank account was opened in the name of a woman at a branch in Quetta, but authorities failed to even question anyone in this regard.

The extortion money was deposited not only in the branch located on Jinnah Road, but also in Gahi Khan Chowk and Habib Nullah, he alleged.

Miners were being charged a fee of Rs500 per tonne of coal in, he said, adding Rs4 million was collected every day on average through extortion.

Abdul Rahman Khetran regrets elected representatives not being taken on board in fight against militancy

The minister also expressed serious concerns over the deteriorating law and order situation, pointing out that only in the Loralai division, terrorists killed 44 people in the last 44 days. “Will the killing of mine workers lead to Balochistan’s freedom?” he questioned.

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He said that banned outfits were operating their camps in Musakhail, Buzdar area, Chamalang, Harnai, and other coal field areas for purpose of extortion money, but not in his Barkhan district.

On the other hand, he said, just deputy commissioners or police officials were transferred after acts of terrorism despite the fact that this would not solve the problem.

He regretted that elected representatives were not being taken on board while dealing with security situation, warning that banned militant outfits might establish their own courts if drastic measures were not taken to set up the writ of the state and improve governance.

Mr Khetran, who belongs to the ruling PML-N, said that the rise in terrorism was the result of bad governance in the province.

The minister said that even though he was a part of the cabinet, he would admit that providing security to people was government’s responsibility.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2024