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    Gilani asked to hold PPP meeting on Balochistan

By Syed Irfan Raza

Talking to the premier, the president said the Balochistan issue could no longer be ignored and it was essential to hammer out a broad-based national consensus for healing the wounds of the people of province. - APP photo

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari advised Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday to convene a meeting of the Pakistan People’s Party to firm up recommendations for resolving outstanding issues of Balochistan.

Briefing newsmen about the meeting between the president and the prime minister, spokesman Farhatullah Babar said Mr Gilani would convene the meeting in his capacity as vice chairman of the PPP.

‘The meeting will serve as a prelude to the All Parties Conference on the issue of Balochistan to be convened by the prime minister,’ he said.

Talking to the prime minister, the president said the Balochistan issue could no longer be ignored and it was essential that a broad-based national consensus was hammered out for healing the wounds of the people of province.

Mr Zardari said he had also advised the Balochistan assembly to adopt unanimous resolutions and forward the same to the parliament, which in turn would endorse them to create a broad-based political ownership for whatever measures were to be taken.

The president has already assured the Baloch people of resolution of their problems to bring them into the mainstream and eliminate the sense of deprivation and increasing militancy in Balochistan.

A source close to the president hinted that the government wanted to mitigate the grievances of all groups in the province and it was ready to accept their just demands like recovery of the missing people and removal of security check posts.

The president referred to his recent visit to Quetta and deplored the killing of three Baloch leaders in Turbat.

‘The government will not only ensure that the culprits are brought to book but also that such incidents do not recur,’ Mr Babar quoted the president as saying.

Mr Zardari said the government had taken special measures to address the financial problems of Balochistan by announcing a development package of Rs47 billion for the province.

‘The completion of Gwadar project has advanced our strategic interests, created jobs and generated economic activity in the remote areas of Balochistan,’ he said.

Referring to the issue of internally displaced persons, Mr Zardari said the government was trying to create an enabling environment to facilitate the return and rehabilitation of displaced persons in Balochistan.

DAWN: Wednesday, 27 May, 2009