Governor rules out Wana-style action: Balochistan border areas peaceful
By Our Staff Correspondent
QUETTA, April 5: Balochistan Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani has said that the government has no plans to launch a Wana-like operation in the border areas of the province.
Talking to newsmen during a visit to Qila Saifullah, a border district of Balochistan, he said that all such reports were totally baseless.
"There is no need for any operation in this area because there is no disturbance," he said, adding that conditions were different in Wana where the government had to launch an operation against terrorists who were hiding there."
He said the government had received no reports of disturbances in border areas of the province. "When there is no disturbance there is no question of launching any operation in the area," the governor declared.
Earlier, speaking at a public gathering, Mr Ghani said that tribal disputes and political differences were the root cause of backwardness of the province. "Without removing these stumbling blocks the province cannot make progress," the governor said.
Referring to the NFC award, he said that the new award would resolve fund shortage problem that the province had been facing as its share had not been determined in the national resources previously. He said President Musharraf and Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali had also given assurance in this regard.
"Weaknesses in governance and other problems confronting the province for the last 30 years should be removed," Mr Owais said. He pointed out that as compared to the past when rights were given on a quota basis, the situation had now changed and merit had now become a must in the new century to win a place in this competitive world.
He stressed the need for making strides in the field of education and human resources building and said that though religious education was necessary, it alone could not fulfil requirements of the modern world. In today's world, he said, science and technology had got tremendous significance and achievements in this field had to be gained to bring the province on a part with other provinces of the country.
To achieve that end, he said, it would be necessary to make reforms in religious schools and introduce English and science subjects in addition to religious courses. He clarified that learning English and adopting Western life style were two different things and should not be confused with each other.
Earlier, the governor, accompanied by Senior Minister for Planning and Development Maulana Abdul Wasay, visited various development schemes in the district such as an under construction cadet college, a dam project, farm-to-market roads and water supply schemes.
LAWYERS BOYCOTT: Lawyers on the call of Balochistan Bar Association observed a token strike by boycotting the court proceedings for two hours on Monday. The lawyers were demanding action against the superintendent of the Quetta district jail for misbehaving with a lawyer.
The Bar's general council would meet on Tuesday to decide future strategy. The lawyers did not attend the court proceedings from 11am to 1pm and a black flag was hoisted at the main door of the Bar room.
The vice-president of the BBA, Mohammad Sadiq Raisani, told Dawn that a high official of the provincial prison department had approached them and had assured to issue directives accepting the demands of the lawyers.
He said that the official had agreed that the main gate of the Quetta district prison would be opened for the counsels who wanted to meet their jailed clients; counsels would be permitted to park their vehicles on the jail premises; and a waiting room for lawyers would be arranged.
Special Court: Scores of women and children staged a demonstration to protest against the killing of a woman on their wedding day by her new husband, and demanded that the groom be tried in a Special Court, here on Monday.
The protesters were led by a woman councillor, Nargis Mustafa, and they gathered on Sirki Road and blocked traffic for an hour. Senior police officials, including Capital City police officer Pervaiz Bhatti and other concerned officials rushed to the area and assured the women that their demand would be conveyed to the concerned authorities, after which they dispersed peacefully. On Saturday night, Ghulam Haider killed his wife on the first day of their marriage saying he suspected here character.
