ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard a petition on the law and order situation and human rights violations in Balochistan, DawnNews reported.

A three-judge bench of the apex court, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja, heard the petition filed by the Balochistan Bar Association on the law and order situation in the province.

During the hearing, Advocate General of Balochistan Amanullah Kinrani said: "How can we say that the state's apparatus had failed in the province?"

However, Kinrani said that even members of the law enforcement forces were not safe in Balochistan.

Chief Justice Iftikhar said no one was safe in the province any longer and that people were being targeted regardless of their religious affiliations.

The court declared the advocate general's report on the province unsatisfactory.

In his remarks, Justice Khilji inquired what the responsibilities of the federal government would be if the provincial government was failing to establish peace in Balochistan.

He moreover asked if the government would act only once circumstances became extremely dire.

The court again summoned a report on the province from Inspector General Police Balochistan Rao Amin Hashim.

Later on, the court adjourned the hearing until Thursday (tomorrow).

Earlier on Tuesday, the bench had ordered the federal and Balochistan governments to admit in writing that they had miserably failed to establish the writ of law in the strife-torn province.

“We direct the provincial and federal governments, Frontier Corps (FC) and the defence department to put up a statement under the signatures of the competent authorities on Wednesday showing why the Constitution is not being enforced wholly on account of apparent failure of the executive machinery to control law and order,” said an order dictated by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.