Balochistan Governor Jaffar Mandokhail has said the law and order situation in Balochistan is “not good” and that he has no knowledge of plans to impose governor’s rule amid calls to replace the Sarfraz Bugti-led government.
Speaking to reporters in Quetta, Mandokhail said the decision on governor’s rule rested with those holding authority in Islamabad. His position as governor prevented him from speaking about many matters, he added, but he would comment openly once he was no longer in office.
His remarks come after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Abdul Rehman Khetran called on the Pakistani prime minister to consider replacing Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti and imposing governor’s rule.
Khetran said the Balochistan government had “failed 100 per cent” and that conditions were worse than those in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Government officials, including Bugti, have maintained that state authority remains intact, although lawmakers from both governing and opposition parties have questioned that position.
Opposition lawmaker Younus Aziz Zehri had called in October for an assembly briefing on security situation, saying people were struggling to travel freely. He also rejected suggestions that political representatives should form armed militias.
“Providing security to citizens is the responsibility of the state, the government and the forces,” Zehri said.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail also expressed concern over conditions in Balochistan, saying they made his heart “weep tears of blood” and that everyone needed to sit together to consider how peace could be restored.
Speaking at a dinner hosted by the Balochistan Bar Council, he said people now advised him to exercise caution when travelling to Quetta, although he had once been able to go anywhere without a guard. How Balochistan had reached this point required reflection, he added.
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