QUETTA: Maulana Hafiz Hamdullah, a central leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), has strongly condemned the Balochistan government’s plan to merge the provincial Levies Force into the police.
Speaking at an annual conference in Qila Abdullah District, Maulana Hamdullah declared the decision “on the tip of our shoe,” a phrase denoting contempt and rejection. He stated unequivocally that his party would not accept the move under any circumstances.
He launched a sharp criticism at the provincial assembly and government, accusing them of being illegitimate and subservient. “The Balochistan Assembly and government have become symbols of the Form 47 production and thumbprint system,” he claimed, suggesting that laws are pre-written elsewhere and the assembly merely rubber-stamps them.
He went on to label anyone involved in passing this “heinous legislation” as a “criminal of the nation and the province.” He appealed to other political parties and the public to raise their voices against the decision and to subject the supporting assembly members to “political and social hatred.”
Positioning the JUI as the defenders of the province, Maulana Hamdullah asserted that the party stands with every oppressed person in Balochistan and will continue to struggle for the protection of the province’s resources and the people’s fundamental rights.
A directive from the Balochistan government to integrate the provincial Levies Force into the police has been met with significant opposition, triggering large-scale demonstrations across the province.
In the city of Qalat, personnel and officers from the force organised a major protest rally to voice their strong dissent against the controversial merger. The demonstration commenced at the Levies Headquarters and proceeded along several central arteries, including Shahri Bazaar, Hospital Road, and Darbar Road, before concluding at its origin.
A substantial body of Levies staff participated, carrying placards bearing slogans such as “No to Levies Force Police Merger” and “Long Live the Levies Force.”
