Siraj calls for stopping operation to start dialogue with Baloch leadership

Lahore: Ameer,  Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Sirajul Haq, has stressed that  all kinds of hidden activities in Balochistan should be stopped to pave way for peace in the province.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on return from a visit to Quetta, he said that in order to bring the political and non political leadership of Balochistan into the main stream, the operation there must be stopped and talks started with them. Besides, an independent enquiry should be held into the assassination of Nawab Akbar Bugti. He however added that until and unless the establishment did not join the talks, the Balochistan leadership wont trust the dialogue.

Sirajul Haq said that the rights guaranteed to the provinces under the 18^th amendment must be granted to the provinces. He said that during the last 68 years, no government in Balochistan had been allowed to work independently and the instead the provinces were being run by the federal authorities through remote control. He said that Balochistan province had suffered the most because  of the Russian and the US attacks on  Afghanistan Pervez Musharraf who yielded to a single phone call from Washington tried to cow down the Balochistan people through threats and the assassination of Nawab Akbar Bugti added fuel to the fire.

The JI chief said there was no secession movement in Balochistan. However, thousands of the Baloch youth had gone up the hills because of lack of basic civic facilities and jobs. He said the situation demanded that the Balochistan issue be taken seriously and the participation of the people of the province in the political system be ensured. He said the issue of the missing persons had become serious and their near ones were running from pillar to post but in vain.