Muhammad Faizan Aslam Khan: More than 100 security personnel have been martyred in Balochistan this year, while several police check posts remain highly vulnerable to terrorist attacks, Additional Inspector General (AIG) Balochistan Shahzad Akbar told a Senate committee on Monday.
The AIG made the remarks while participating through video link in a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination, which discussed problems and security challenges faced by citizens travelling between provinces.
“We are in a state of war. More than 100 of our personnel have been martyred this year,” Shahzad Akbar told the committee.
He said the security situation in Balochistan was extremely difficult, warning that many check posts were vulnerable and faced serious threats.
“Our situation is very bad. The check posts are highly vulnerable,” the AIG said. He added that security personnel were making sacrifices to protect the public despite the risks.
“We are sacrificing our children. The check posts are facing severe threats,” he said.
Shahzad Akbar also informed the committee that a deputy commissioner had been abducted while travelling to his home and that his whereabouts were still unknown.
The Senate committee meeting focused on difficulties faced by citizens while travelling between Balochistan and other provinces, including security concerns and problems at checkpoints.
During the proceedings, a statement made by Balochistan Assembly lawmaker Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman was also played. In his Balochistan Assembly speech, he had said that people travelling from Balochistan to Karachi sometimes felt as if they were entering another country rather than travelling within Pakistan.
The discussion highlighted the security challenges facing Balochistan and the difficulties encountered by citizens travelling through inter-provincial routes.
