31 January 2005	Monday	20 Zilhaj 1425

QUETTA, Jan 30: The alliance of four Baloch nationalist parties has given a call for a strike in the province on Feb 12 in protest against deployment of army in Sui and looting of Balochistan's resources.

The alliance has also demanded the arrest of the security forces officials involved in assault on a lady doctor. The Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party had earlier given a strike call for the same day on the drought issue. The alliance and the PMAP have agreed to protest jointly on the Sui and drought issues.

Speaking at a press conference at the press club, Balochistan National Party (Mengal) Secretary Habib Jalib Baloch, Jamhoori Watan Party General Secretary Sardar Naiz Breach and Dr Ishaque Baloch of the National Party criticized the provincial government for handing over the security of Sui to federal forces.

They alleged that the federal government had planned to evacuate 500 villages in Sui and establish a cantonment and it had used the pretext of protection of installations to deploy army for the purpose.

They refuted the Inter-Services Public Relations' claim that tribesmen had sold the land to the government and maintained that the Dera Bugti district nazim and local tribal elders had denied that the 400 acres had been sold.

The leaders claimed that the government wanted to establish cantonments to complete the Gwadar project and explore untapped resources in the province despite the fact that the Balochistan Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution against such a move.