ISLAMABAD, Jan 28: Coordinator of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Central Information Bureau and Member of the Punjab Assembly (MPA) Farzana Raja has said Balochistan issue cannot be resolved through power.

In a statement here on Friday, the PPP MPA said the regime was bent upon using brutal force against the Baloch people, which could not be a source of any resolution to the impending issue.

Ms Raja proposed that a high powered parliamentary committee be constituted on the issue to bring about a positive resolution. She was of the view that the current committee mostly had members from the Punjab, who did not know the problems of Balochistan.

"Only a committee with majority of members from Balochistan can help resolve the issue," she said. She said the tribesmen were angry over the non-implementation of written agreements between them, the federal government and oil and gas companies.

She said half of the country's gas needs were met from the Sui gas fields in Balochistan and the matter of royalty had always been a controversial subject between Balochistan and the centre.

She said the royalty of Sui gas was determined on a well-head price of Rs9 per 1,000 square feet in the early 1950s. In Sindh, it was Rs160 and upto Rs240 in the Punjab. She said of the total amount received as well-head price only 12.5 per cent came to Balochistan.

The PPP leader said at a time when soldiers were patrolling the area, no hope for peace can be dreamed even. "The rulers should act and come forward with some concrete steps to resolve the dispute between the smaller provinces and the centre", the PPP leader said.

Ms Raja said the federation was in danger if the army operation was continued in Balochistan. "The rulers should involve politicians from the opposition and leaders of opinion to ensure peace in the province. If they continue to persist with targeted accountability and force popular leaders into exile, peace cannot be guaranteed," she said.