19 January 2005	Wednesday	08 Zilhaj 1425

ISLAMABAD, Jan 18: The jailed ARD president, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, on Tuesday said the situation in Sui, Wana, Gilgit and Skardu proved that the government had totally failed in maintaining peace in the country and warned the military rulers against using force in these areas, as it could lead to dangerous consequences.

In a statement issued from Adiala Jail, Mr Hashmi said the people of Pakistan were perturbed over the reports of gang rape of a lady doctor in Balochistan and they felt ashamed on the incident.

Mr Hashmi said the military rulers had pushed the country to a 1971-like situation. However, he was of the view that still there was time for the government to initiate a dialogue to resolve the outstanding issues instead of using force. He said the history showed that force had never solved any problem in the world.

Mr Hashmi said the people of Balochistan were patriotic Pakistanis and wanted to see development in their province. He said the people of Balochistan were feeling exposed and harassed due to presence of over 17,000 security personnel in Sui and Dera Bugti.