14 February 2005	Monday	04 Muharram 1426

QUETTA, Feb 13: An alliance of four Baloch nationalist parties and Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party have demanded that Gwadar project and setting up of new cantonments should be immediately abandoned , forces be withdrawn from Sui and drought-hit people should be rehabilitated.

The demand was made at a joint press conference addressed by PMAP provincial president Abdul Rauf Lala, BNP secretary-general Habib Jalib, National Party general secretary Tahir Bizenjo and JWP leader Sohail Ahmed Rajput.

They termed the Gwadar mega project 'an anti-Baloch development project' and criticized the government for deploying army and setting up cantonment in Sui. Referring to their other demands, they said the government should abandon its plan regarding merger of levies force with the police and should provide compensation to the people affected by the eight-year-long drought in Balochistan.

"The people of Balochistan suffered nearly Rs57 billion loss during the past eight years owing to drought," they said and urged the federal government to provide the amount for the rehabilitation of the people.

They demanded that all agriculture loans and Wapda arrears against growers should be waved off and farmers should be provided free electricity. They urged the government to announce a relief package for the farmers.

The leaders of the nationalist parties suggested that 500 MW national grid station should be set up in Balochistan and more dams should be constructed to store water.

They warned that if the government did not change its attitude towards Baloch and Pukhtuns then all nationalist and progressive forces would launch a collective move against it. They also demanded that all political leaders and workers should be released without further delay.