29 January 2005	Saturday	18 Zilhaj 1425

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

ISLAMABAD Jan 28: Balochistan Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani has ruled out imposition of governor's rule or a military operation in Balochistan.

Mr Ghani said the latest attacks on Sui gas and other key installations showed that saboteurs had huge money to carry out their mission.

Talking to newsmen at the Balochistan House here on Friday, the provincial governor said that only a fraction of the Baloch leadership was involved in subversive activities while Pashtoons (almost half of the Balochistan population and settlers, 17 per cent of the provincial population), were only interested in development of their areas.

Mr Ghani said the government had reports provided by intelligence agencies about infiltration of heavy weapons in certain Baloch-populated areas. "We never expected that multi-barrel rockets will be used in such great numbers in the fresh wave of sabotage activities."

When asked whether President Gen Pervez Musharraf could himself hold a meeting with Nawab Akbar Bugti, Mr Ghani said there was every possibility of such a happening as the president was keen on finding a lasting solution to the problem.

He said the federal government had moved the Frontier Corps and over battalion of the army in the area, which finally restored law and order in the area and ensured protection to key installations.

Now, the governor said, the government was embarking on the political process to achieve a permanent solution to the problem. Referring to Baloch leaders' demand for a raise in gas and other minerals' royalty, the governor said the issue would well be addressed in the light of the parliamentary committee's report to satisfy the majority of the Baloch people.

He said the Baloch leaders had been provided sufficient compensation/lease money for their lands from where gas and other minerals were being extracted. Regarding provision of low number of jobs to the Baloch population, he said this issue had been well addressed in the Rind committee report which had already been submitted to the government.

He said at least 10,000 Baloch youths would be recruited in federal security agencies. Mr Ghani said the government would ensure protection to gas and other installations at any cost but it would also continue to seek a negotiated settlement to all issues.

The governor said in past the people of Balochistan were right in agitating the lack of attention to their problems but the present government, after its take over in Oct 1999, had launched a number of mega development projects costing at least Rs120 billion to the national exchequer.

He said the amount was unprecedented in the history of Balochistan. He said such and other development projects would take some time for completion and after their completion there must be huge generation of economic activities in the area with a galloping pace which would in turn provide jobs to the Balochistan population and help rid the province population of poverty.

He said, while going into talks with Baloch leadership, the government has to understand as to which party or leader enjoyed confidence of the majority people. Governor Ghani also mentioned a number of steps including recruitments of 10,000 additional jobs in various security services and large number of mega, semi mega and medium development projects in the province.