Balochistan: Lawmakers should not be lawbreakers
Editorial :
First and foremost, it is the responsibility of lawmakers to abide by their own legislation. The remarks of Chief Justice Balochistan High Court (BHC), Mr. Justice Jamal Mandokhail about increasing complaints about government functionaries should be taken seriously.
In his address on the occasion of the inaugural ceremony of judicial complex Zhob, the top judge of the province revealed that presently 60 to 70 percent of cases in the judiciary were against the government. The number of cases against government departments appears to be on a constant rise in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan.
This all speaks about poor governance in the province lagging behind other provinces in terms of key social indicators.
“They pass laws and then violate the same”, CJ BHC
“They pass laws and then violate the same”, he said. Especially, the Chief Justice pointed out complaints about the recruitment process in government departments are common. “There are so many complaints that this and that minister is recruiting his own people”, Justice Mandokhail mentioned.
It has become a common practice in Balochistan that people either block roads, resort to agitation or knock on the door of courts for the acquisition of their rights. Political parties, government employees, and people belonging to various walks of life block roads to mount pressure on the executive for acceptance of their demands.
No sane person can support the blockade of roads
The 12-days long tiresome sit-in by government employees was an example of this practice. Although, no sane person can support the way the employees blocked the roads and created problems for the masses.
Subsequently, the BHC intervened and ended the troubled sit-in.
Most of the cases in courts are against the government departments in the recruitment process. Undoubtedly, the present government deserves appreciation in terms of the appointment of over 9,000 teachers and over 1,000 doctors. There were fewer complaints in the recruitment process.
The process lacks transparency in other departments
However, the process of recruitment lacks transparency in other government departments. It has been a practice for years that the department minister instructs the officers to appoint this and that.
This process needs to be discouraged. The provincial government has to take serious notice of complaints in the recruitment process and take steps to restore the confidence of candidates.
