18 December 2004	Saturday	05 Ziqa'ad 1425

QUETTA, Dec 17: The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) has announced its disassociation from the parliamentary committee on Balochistan and withdrawal of its two members for what the party terms the government's anti-Baloch policies.

Speaking at a press conference in the press club on Friday, a BNP-M leader said the party's leadership in an emergency meeting on Thursday discussed the decision of China to grant $150 million for Gwadar seaport. This grant testified that the federal government was not serious in resolving the political issues of the province, he said.

Party secretary-general Habib Jalib Baloch said: "The government's unwillingness to stop work on the second phase of Gwadar seaport, to crackdown on Baloch students and the dispatching of new army units to the interiors of Balochistan indicated that the rulers were exploiting dialogue process to gain time," Mr Jalib maintained.

In this situation, he said, it would be a historical mistake either to become part of the negotiation process or to sit on the parliamentary committee or to suggest recommendations to the parliamentary sub-committee to work out solution of political issues of Balochistan.

The BNP-Mengal leader said that establishment's victimization policy, conspiracy of intelligence agencies, deprivation of provincial resources, designs to capture the Makran coastal belt, PML-MMA coalition government and its pro-establishment stance had forced them to quit the negotiation process.

Mr Jalib claimed that four Baloch parties alliance, Ponam and other nationalist parties had dubbed the Gwadar seaport as anti-Baloch project, but rulers' insistence to go ahead with the plan would deteriorate the situation.

He said most of the members of the parliamentary committee, except its chairman and some others, had adopted a non-serious attitude on problems of the province. Federal Minister Babar Ghori had dubbed nationalists as anti-state elements and ISPR's Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan announced establishment of cantonments in the province, which exposed government's motives.

Party vice-president Sajid Tareen advocate, Senator Sana Baloch and others were present on the occasion.