ISLAMABAD, Nov 30: The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered Balochistan police to arrest and produce former provincial minister Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran within a week for his alleged involvement in the forced marriages of two minor girls and abduction of their five relatives, besides running a private jail in his area.
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi and Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad, while hearing an application of Issa Khan, also directed the provincial police to recover the five kidnapped relatives of the minor girls from his private jail.
The Balochistan inspector general of police, home secretary and levies director-general was also ordered by the court to provide protection and security to the family of applicants Issa Khan, 7-year old Azzoo and nine-year old Lal Khatoon.
The bench was told that Sardar Khetran had ordered the forced marriage of two minors, which the relatives of the minors declined to accept. Consequently he abducted five male members of the family and allegedly subjected them to torture in his private jail.
The court was told that Sardar Khetran is the spouse of incumbent provincial Minister Nasreen Baloch and as such area police was reluctant to arrest him. Moreover, being a feudal lord the accused has great influence over the police.
However, the court expressed displeasure and observed that no one was above the law asking how a husband of a minister could be spared for his alleged criminal activities.
