BHC cancels fund allocated for private guards to politicians

QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Monday cancelled government funds allocated for private guards of politicians, ARY News reported.

A bench of the high court while hearing a constitutional petition with regard to Rs 100 million fund allocation for posting private security guards for parliamentarians, declared it as void.

The high court ruled to halt salaries being paid to private security guards from the government’s grant-in-aid.

The court in its ruling said that the politicians should themselves hire private security guards from registered private companies on their own expense.

“The allocated amount should now be earmarked for public welfare projects with the approval of the cabinet,” the court ruled.

Businessmen should hire private guards with approval from the provincial home department, the bench ordered. “No one will be allowed to keep more than two guards from a private security company,” the court said.

The court also directed the home department to formulate the mechanism for hiring of private security guards.

The bench declared that the similarity of private security guards’ uniform with law enforcement agencies will also be a punishable act.