02 September 2004	Thursday	16 Rajab 1425

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KARACHI, Sept 1: The central information secretary of the Pakistan People's Party has demanded action against Balochistan chief minister and others for 'serious security lapses' if; according to the chief minister's statement, the RAW-supported camps were operating in Balochistan.

Expressing deep anguish and concern over the statement, PPP information secretary Taj Haider said that the RAW could not have established training camps on our land without the active collaboration of local and federal authorities.

"If there was even a shred of truth in this statement those responsible, including the chief minister himself, should be taken to task for this huge security lapse," he said.

Mr Haider said that according to GHQ assertions militants of a key party in the present military government had received training in India in 1994-95. Even today, it was very much possible for India to establish training camps for Pakistani terrorists in India.

However, there was not even a remote possibility of their setting up a single training camp anywhere in Pakistan. This statement by the chief minister, given for purely internal reasons, would seriously jeopardise the peace process in the subcontinent, he said.

He alleged that the purpose of the allegation was to persecute the opposition by first labelling them as Indian agents and to create some justification for setting up military cantonments in the interior of Balochistan. "This is a very dangerous path to tread as we have seen time and again," he said.

The denial of autonomy guaranteed by the 1973 Constitution and the exclusion of Balochis from the national mainstream were the burning causes that had to be seriously tackled, said Mr Haider, asking "how many Balochs are there in the armed forces of Pakistan, who have, though in violation of the constitution and against the will of the people remained the main source of power in our country".

Balochistan and Sindh formed the entire sea coast of Pakistan but there were hardly any Baloch or Sindhi in the country's navy, he added. Mr Haider said that development work which did not focus primarily on the wellbeing of local people and was not undertaken with their consultation and under their supervision had always proved counter-productive.

The mega projects undertaken in Balochistan threaten to change the demography and the Baloch identity of the province. He warned that countries breakup from within when the will and sovereignty of the people were not respected and equal rights for all the people and regions were not ensured. "That unfortunately, is the present situation in our country. The sooner it is rectified the better and safer," he said.