SC seeks tough questions over Quetta Attack commission, Balochistan IG gets emotional

QUETTA: The Supreme Court asked tough questions from the government as it resumed hearing the suo moto Quetta Civil Hospital attack case on Thursday.

The apex court asked the government if it will act on the Quetta Attack commission or not. It gave the interior ministry time till February 6 to submit its reservation over the commission.

Earlier in December, an inquiry commission under the Supreme Court slammed the federal interior minister, and the Balochistan chief minister and home minister for providing misleading information following a deadly terrorist attack in Quetta which claimed 70 lives and injured as many as 112 people earlier this year.

On August 8, a powerful explosion ripped through Civil Hospital in Quetta when Balochistan Bar Association President Bilal Kasi's body was being brought to the emergency department. Kasi was gunned down in a targeted killing earlier that day.

During the proceeding, Balochistan Police IG Ahsan Mehboob became emotional. He said he was not consulted while forming the commission. “I was made to stand in the court for eight hours straight and cursed. The judges told me to die of shame. Is that rightful treatment? Are only judges to be respected? And we [the police] should be cursed?” he said.

Justice Amir Hani Muslim said that he could swear upon God that the commission did not curse the Balochistan Police IG. Addressing the Police IG he said, “Who is responsible for the attack on the police centre?”

The judge added that constructing the wall was the government’s job.

To this Balochistan Police IG  Mehboob said, “We had informed the government but they did not adhere to our advice.”

To this Justice Amir Hani said it took you two years to construct a wall. “If every day you had set up 10 bricks, a wall would have been raised.” He added that from the year 2005 till 2017 repeated incidents of terrorism were being reported. “What has been done to fix them?”

The Police IG said that Balochistan was facing multiple political problems. “If rebellion cannot be contained, curfew at Saryab Road will also not end terrorism. Terrorists get more money to attack Balochistan.”