September 26, 2003	Friday	Rajab 28, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 25: Balochistan National Party (BNP) Senator Sanaullah Baloch said here on Thursday that a treason case had been registered against him and his partymen to intimidate them into giving up their struggle against the “army rule”.

Talking to Dawn, the BNP senator said he feared for his life as intelligence agencies had been constantly harassing and intimidating him and other party leaders for the past several days.

He said he had already told the Senate that there was a danger to the life of BNP leaders.

The Crime Branch police in Quetta have registered a treason case against six BNP leaders — Senator Sanaullah Baloch, Senator Javed Mengal, MNA Abdur Rauf Mengal, MPA Akbar Mengal, Sardar Amanullah Zehri and Sardar Naseer Moosyani — for distributing “objectionable pamphlets against the armed forces.”

The senator said some one had published calendars some two years back in Karachi and distributed them to various bookshops, but the police had registered a case now after two years, declaring those calendars “objectionable pamphlets”, which, he added, showed the “intention behind this move.”

He said people bought these calendars from various book stalls and shops. There was nothing objectionable in the calendar as it carried a simple cartoon similar to that published in newspapers, he further said, and added that the name of the party, Balochistan National Party (BNP), was also published on the calendars.

Mr Baloch said he came to know about the registration of the case through some evening newspapers. The BNP leader said when he contacted the Crime Branch, Quetta, to seek a copy of the FIR, he was refused.

He said registration of such cases against him was not a new thing for him. Mr Baloch said when he wrote a book ‘Oppressed Balochistan’, some two years back, similar cases were filed against him. He said he had not been given copies even of the previous FIRs.

About the book, he said he had demanded equal representation in army and a new constitution for the country. Moreover, the book also highlighted the negative impact of the army rule on the country and society.

He was of the view that the recent case had been registered after his press conference two days back in which he had said that a huge amount had been spent on converting Balochistan into a mega cantonment.

The BNP senator said the agencies and the regime had been trying to divide the party before the elections, but it failed. Mr Baloch pointed out that the BNP had never recognized Gen Pervez Musharraf as president of the country during the past four years.

He termed the fresh move of the government an attempt to suppress the people of Balochistan. The matter, he recalled, was also discussed in the Balochistan Assembly on Thursday and the provincial government expressed its ignorance about the registration of any case.

The BNP senator vowed to raise the issue in the Senate on Friday through a point of order, and continue the struggle against the “military dictatorship” and the Legal Framework Order.