QUETTA, Oct 9: Expressing concern over lawlessness and killings in Balochistan, the Supreme Court directed police on Tuesday to provide security to doctors.

The order was issued by a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain. The bench had taken up a petition on the law and order situation and human rights violations in the province at the Quetta registry of Supreme Court.

The chief justice regretted that a number of people, including a sessions judge and personnel of Frontier Corps and police, had been killed, but no killer was arrested. It appeared that no efforts were made to catch the perpetrators.

Quetta police chief Zubair Mahmood informed the court that some progress had been made but it could not be discussed in open court. He said the strength of police stood at 1,500 while there were 5,000 doctors. `It is not possible for police to provide security to each and every doctor,` he said.

The chief justice asked the police officer to prepare a security plan in consultation with the health secretary and representatives of doctors.

He said everyone knew about the kidnappers of Dr Arbab Ghulam Rasool. One of the abductors was injured and later died and his fateha was held, but no one was arrested.

The chief justice expressed annoyance over the transfer of an official from the hometown of Balochistan Assembly Speaker Mohammad Aslam Bhootani. `He was punished only because Mr Bhootani appeared before the court on Monday. Had the speaker committed any crime by coming to the court,` Justice Chaudhry remarked.

Chief Secretary Babar Fateh Mohammad informed the court that the transfer order had been cancelled on the directives of the chief minister`s secretariat.

The chief justice expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of security forces and said: `We cannot give too much time to the provincial government. The government must improve the situation.

Otherwise the law will take its course. We do not want to give verdict to demoralise the Frontier Corps, but if the missing persons are not recovered we will have to take action.

He drew the attention of FC`s counsel to a student of class-III whose father Haji Meharullah Khilji has been missing since March 2010.

Police quoted eyewitnesses as saying that FC personnel had picked him. `Now tell us what reply we should give to this child,` the CJP asked the counsel.

Advocate General of Balochistan Amanullah Kanrani assured the court that concerted efforts would be made to recover the child`s father.

The chief justice said the missing persons` case had become an international issue after the arrival in Pakistan of a UN delegation.

`It is not only confined to us.

Justice Khilji Arif said: `If we do not give relief to this child he will become a terrorist in future. He will say that no institutions, including the judiciary, provided him justice and then he decided for himself.

The chief justice said: `We did not ask to release any accused; he should be tried in a court of law.

Advocate Malik Zahoor Shahwani said court`s orders should be implemented in letter and spirit in Balochistan. Otherwise, he warned, a Karachi-like situation would emerge in the province.

Advocate Shakeel Ahmed Hadi said the Balochistan issue was political and should be resolved politically.

The chief justice asked him to explain what `political solution` he had in mine.

Mr Hadi said it should be settled in accordance with the Constitution.