QUETTA, Oct 28: Human rights activists and members of the minority community staged a demonstration against incidents of kidnapping of members of minority communities, increasing lawlessness in the province, killing of women in the name of honour, unprecedented price hike in Ramzan and increase in unemployment.

The protestors gathered in front of the local press club on Thursday and chanted slogans against the government for not taking steps to eliminate kidnapping for ransom cases and other crimes.

Zahoor Ahmed Shahwani advocate, vice-chairman of the HRCP, Balochistan chapter, speaking on the occasion, held the government responsible for growing criminal activities by giving a free-hand to abductors, dacoits and criminals.

MR Zahoor said he had personally met the IGP twice and other government functionaries to apprise them about the deteriorating law and order in Quetta and other parts of the province, but to no avail.

The HRCP representative said citizens were not only confronted with lawlessness, but also with acute shortage of potable water and non-provision of medicines in the government hospitals, which had aggravated the situation.

He accused the law enforcement agencies for not taking serious measures to recover the minority community women abducted in Loralai on Oct 1, 2004.