July 23, 2003	Wednesday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 22, 1424

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DERA BUGTI, July 22: Jamhoori Watan Party chief Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti has claimed that the government plans to construct a naval and air base at Jewani for American Central Command to keep Iran under pressure and control oil, shipping and other trade in the region.

“The proposed naval and air base would be the biggest in Central Asia and the United States would bear all expenses of the project,” Nawab Bugti told newsmen at his residence here.

He claimed that a strip of 30 to 40 miles coastline would be separated from Balochistan for the project.

He said the US wanted to pressure Iran and pave the way for easy approach to the Central Asian states.

He alleged that construction of Gwadar port was a part of a huge project which would ensure the presence of the US in the region.

He said China was just building the port as a contractor and it “has no role in this whole episode.”

He said Balochistan had almost lost Gwadar.

Replying to a question, the JWP chief said he had always supported good relations between Pakistan and India. “The people should be allowed to visit each other’s country without any hurdle as they have the same culture,” he said.

The former chief minister said the people of Makran were educated, they had a considerable representation in government services and were not bound by the tribal system, so they should evolve a plan for saving the coastal belt, including Gwadar, and raise the issue. He said he and his party would support such a move.

He said no nationalist party had contacted him for launching a campaign to save Gwadar.

Nawab Bugti ruled out the involvement of a foreign hand in the recent attack in Quetta.