www.punjabics.com

Home

Nawaz announces launch of struggle for Baloch people

PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif exchanging views with former Governor Balochistan

Lt. Gen. Abdul Qadir Baloch and Hamid Mir Nawaz who called on him at the Punjab House. –APP Photo

ISLAMABAD: Leader of Pakistan Muslim League (N) Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday declared that his party would launch a struggle for the redressal of the grievances of the people of the much neglected province of Balochistan on the pattern of the movement for restoration of judges sacked by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

Talking to reporters after a party meeting here at Punjab House, he said the Federation cannot be run without harmony with the federating units. The people of Balochistan had genuine grievances which cannot be ignored any more. He said the small provinces had been neglected during the military rule in the country for about 32 years. ‘The time has come when removal of the sense of deprivation in the province had become inevitable’, he remarked.He termed the assassination of prominent Baloch leader Nawaz Akbar Bugti during a military operation in the days of Musharraf’s rule as a dictatorial act and said it was a deliberate attempt to lead the country towards anarchy and turmoil.

He called for the accountability of Pervez Musharraf for the killing of Akbar Bugti. He said Bugti had always taken the oath of allegiance to Pakistan and was physically eliminated by a person who had violated the constitution and the law and unlawfully sacked judges of the superior courts. ‘We will hold him accountable’, he remarked. He said the meeting reviewed the report of the committee on Balochistan constituted under the chairmanship of Mamnoon Hussain and decided that it would not leave its Baloch brethren in a lurch.

He urged the Government to take the national leadership into confidence over Balochistan Swat and Fata. He also proposed a national conference to find out a solution to the problem and said it was not possible for any party to single handedly resolve the issue. He said his party was ready to fully cooperate with the PPP led federal Government on all national issues.Nawaz Sharif said key Baloch leaders including Nawavb Akbar Bugti and Akhtar Mengal were among the political leadership who decided to repeal the 8th amendment during his days as Prime Minister in 1997. ‘We have to think what went wrong during the eight years after the military takeover’ he stressed.Asked if his party would go for a long march to protect the rights of the Baloch people, he said ‘We will take every positive step to save Pakistan’.

He said his party was not playing to the gallery. He said he had proposed convening of a national conference on Balochistan in a letter to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. He said the issue also came up under discussion during his telephonic conversation with the Prime Minister. He said Gilani had promised to convene a meeting. He said his party does not want to take the credit and wanted the Government to take the lead.Answering a question, he said ‘We have certain commitments with the Government and the Government has certain commitments with us. The repeal of the 17th amendment and the implementation on the Charter of Democracy (CoD) can pave the way for more cooperation between the two parties’, he said.

He said the fact-finding committee on the case pertaining to the examination scam against party lawmaker from Rawalpindi Haji Pervez Khan had worked hard and would submit its final report to the party leadership today (Wednesday).Responding to another question he said Karachi was an important city which cannot be ignored at any cost.

Source Dawn.com:  By Iftikhar A. Khan Wednesday, 06 May, 2009