WHILE the diesel mafia in Balochistan operates without any fear, the Customs and law-enforcement agencies (LEAs) hardly seem bothered enough to deal with those involved in diesel smuggling. The illegal trade in Balochistan is a thriving business only because of lack of action by the LEAs against the diesel suppliers.

On July 9 at the Gaddani bend, the diesel smugglers held a ‘protest demonstration’, blocking the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) Road. Owing to the blockade, a person who was being shifted in an ambulance to Karachi for medical treatment lost his life.

The question is: how did these owners of illegal businesses succeed in blocking a major road without being challenged by the LEAs?

It is high time the relevant authorities dealt with the diesel mafia rather sternly, and provide some relief to the people of Balochistan who are already facing a number of issues in their everyday lives.

Shabir Ahmed Bezanjo
Winder

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2021