There is no dearth of law enforcers in Balochistan yet the province is seething with violence. Not a day passes by when a major incident does not jolt the province with sectarian or ethnic assaults. There are three forces operating in Balochistan to manage law and order: police, Levies, and the Frontier Corps (FC). All of them have proved to be inefficient in arresting violence in the province. The last named stands accused of practising what is termed the kill and dump policy. The killing of 18 non-Baloch, the majority Punjabis, in Turbat on Friday is an add-on to the cumulative offences that have given Balochistan its tragic look. These travellers were going to Europe via Iran when some unknown miscreants riding on motorbikes opened fire on them. Barring two, all of them died on the spot. As usual the criminals flew from the crime scene and the law enforcers did nothing except lift the bodies and send them to the morgue. In another incident, Maulana Muhammad Qasim, a Sunni cleric, was shot down outside his home. Nobody has so far claimed responsibly for the two crimes, but a sectarian or ethnic colour cannot be ruled out. Previously, when a bus carrying pilgrims from Iran to Quetta was attacked, it raised the question of the law enforcement agencies not complying with the standing operating procedures developed to check buses before they enter the city. That incident was the result of a violation of the rules evolved to address unremitting sectarian murders of pilgrims travelling to or from Iran. The criminals hardly face any resistance in conducting their attacks, a reflection of the inefficiency of the security and law and order agencies. The question arises why, knowing the restiveness of the province, the law enforcement agencies have not been able to provide adequate security. The saga of missing persons falls in the same category of nonchalant behaviour of the law enforcers in the province. It has been proved that the FC has been abducting and killing people, yet there is no action against even a single FC officer or soldier. It has been proved beyond doubt that a minister was involved in abductions for ransom and other crimes. He still retains office with an unseemly display of pomp and show. More than 400 Shia Hazaras have been killed in more than 200 incidents in the last four years, and there is no end in sight to this danse macabre. There are no steps taken so far against Malik Ishaq, the chief of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi for his organization’s open involvement in the killing of Hazara Shias. All these loopholes suggest either deliberate neglect or just plain incompetence. The provincial government is the ultimate loser in the face of rising criminality in Balochistan. It has been accused of squandering funds given for capacity building of the police and Levies. The police are using obsolete equipment while the parliamentarians of Balochistan are rolling in luxury. The chief minister spends most of his time in Islamabad. As soon as Raja Pervez Ashraf took over the reins of the country, he vowed to visit Balochistan and released the outstanding funds for the improvement of law enforcement, but this has yet to show any effect on the ground. Is there any check on the Raisani government regarding the funds dispensed for security? Where are the audit reports on these and development funds used by the Balochistan government, which are closely linked with peace? These questions need answers and unless a sincere effort is made to answer these burning questions, the situation in Balochistan can only worsen. So far, whatever the Centre has said or done is just window dressing. g