Supreme Court orders ‘permanent solution’ to Quetta instability

The Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered Government authorities on Tuesday to develop a long-term strategy to protect the Shia Hazara community after bomb attacks martyred nearly 200 of them in Quetta.

The apex court rejected a report on intensified measures to protect the minority ethnic community after the latest attack on February 16 killed 90 people in the provincial capital of Balochistan.

Representing the Balochistan government which had been ordered by the court to present a report, Additional Advocate General of Balochistan Azam Khattak said the provincial government had increased the number of police personnel and was checking vehicles.

It promised to install scanners to check for explosives.

But Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry said this was not enough. “You have to take long-term measures…you should go to the root cause of such incidents. The steps taken are temporary,” Chaudhry said. “This report has not given us any satisfaction,” he said, ordering the arrest of all those responsible for recent attacks.

The February 16 bombing was the second major attack on Shia Hazaras in Quetta in weeks.

A double suicide bombing on a snooker club on January 10 killed at least 92 people, the deadliest ever attack on the community in Pakistan.

The attacks have highlighted the government’s inability to stem sectarian violence and raise serious questions about security as Pakistan prepares to hold elections by mid-May.

“You should plan a permanent solution, no one wants instability in Quetta,” Chaudhry said, adding it was the state’s responsibility to protect every citizen.

He told lawyers representing the Balochistan government to submit another report and adjourned the case until March 6.