Balochistan Assembly opposition member Younus Aziz Zehri on Tuesday rejected calls for political representatives to form armed militias amid the deteriorating law-and-order situation in Balochistan, saying providing protection to citizens is the responsibility of the state.
Speaking to reporters outside the Balochistan Assembly, Zehri said the law-and-order situation had deteriorated severely, with people finding it difficult even to move around freely.
He said he had asked the assembly speaker to arrange a briefing on the situation so lawmakers could be informed about the measures taken by the government and relevant institutions and what progress had been made.
Zehri said security incidents were increasing across Balochistan, adding that whenever the situation improved in one area, conditions deteriorated in another.
He said the assembly should be briefed immediately, after which lawmakers could debate the government’s response and the progress made in restoring law and order.
Asked about announcements by the federal government and some political circles regarding the formation of armed groups or militias to maintain law and order, Zehri said political representatives could neither form such groups nor take responsibility for armed confrontation.
“Providing security to citizens is the responsibility of the state, the government and the forces,” he said. “We will not form any militia, nor will we become involved in any confrontation.”
The remarks come amid allegations that government and military institutions have urged local communities to form militias against armed groups.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman rejected such calls in July, saying countering militancy was the responsibility of the state and military.
“The government and military institutions tell us to form militias and fight armed fighters,” Fazlur Rehman said. “This is not our job; it is the army’s job, and that is what they are paid for.”
The debate has also surfaced in Balochistan amid allegations over the recruitment of former Afghan security personnel into pro-government armed groups.
In late August, JUI lawmaker Fazal Qadir Mandokhail told the Balochistan Assembly that thousands of personnel who had served under the former Afghan government had been brought into Balochistan, an allegation the provincial government said was not supported by verified information or evidence.
RFE/RL later reported, citing former Afghan personnel and other sources, that former Afghan soldiers and police officers were being recruited for pro-government armed groups operating in Balochistan.