01 March 2005	Tuesday	19 Muharram 1426

KARACHI, Feb 28: Describing the so-called police action against a Marri settlement in Quetta as the beginning of an undeclared army operation in Balochistan, the National Party chief, Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch, said here on Monday that it had fully exposed government's claim that it desired to solve the political problems through dialogue.

Talking to newsmen here, the NP leader said the Quetta action was an unprovoked and brutal act against innocent Marri tribesmen who had migrated from Afghanistan when a general amnesty was announced for Baloch tribesmen by the then army government in early 80s under a rehabilitation plan.

He said the displaced Marri people had been living there peacefully for years and no government had taken any action against them and they had never been any threat to any one.

Terming the Quetta action "a turning point" in Balochistan's situation, the NP leader it was now obvious that the "government was determined to impose its will" on Baloch people by force. Dr Hayee was of the view that the government wanted to colonise the coastal belt of the province by sheer use of forces and we would not allow this happen at any coast.

Refuting the claim that there had been any involvement of foreign elements in Balochistan disturbances, the NP leader recalled that the Baloch people had always complained against the indifferent attitude of the federal government towards their grievances.

According to him, the situation turned from bad to worse when the federal government launched some mega projects in the province without taking the people into confidence.

Elaborating his point of view, Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch said the root cause of the problem in Pakistan was decentralization of powers between the federation and federating units.

He said ever since Pakistan came into being, the country was being run under a unitary form of government despite the fact it is multi-nations state comprising people of divergent cultural and ethnic background.

The Baloch leader believed that the country could be steered out from the current crisis, if a true federal parliamentary form of the government with a bicameral legislature was established.

Under this system, he said the federal government powers between the federation and provinces should be clearly defined granting the federal government only three subjects: currency, defence and foreign affairs. He maintained that democracy could not run without accepting the sovereignty of the people to run the affairs of the state.

He argued that one of the causes of Balochistan crisis was that the government wanted development without empowering the people. In this regard, he explained that people wanted development for their own progress and prosperity, but the government had other objectives.

Maintaining that the concept of development and colonization should be made clear, the NP leader made it clear that we would not allow colonization of our land and resources. In this context, he said lands allotted to non-locals under fake housing schemes be cancelled. In this regard, he referred to allotment of land in the Gwadar, saying we will not accept them.

The Baloch leader said the Balochistan issue was not a matter of few Sardars as was being propagated by the rulers, saying it was an issue of the Baloch nation as a whole as was evident by recent public demonstrations held in the province.

He warned the rulers to desist from issuing threats to Baloch leaders because it was aggravating the situation. He said that an army action would harm the country for which the rulers would be held responsible.

He said it was not correct that the US was behind the disturbances of Balochistan, adding our rulers had made no secret of links with the American Establishment and they had proved that they were more loyal to them than any one.

He agreed that there would be large-scale bloodshed in the province if any army action was launched. However, he urged the democracy-loving people and democratic forces of the country to launch a campaign against military action in the province and urge the government to find out a political situation of the Balochistan issue.

Earlier, speaking at a function in Malir on Sunday night, the NP leader said that democracy and army government were contrasts and they could not go together. The function which was held to grant national awards to those who served the Baloch people in their fields.

The NP keader urged the Baloch people to shun their petty differences and wage a joint struggle for their national survival. He said the Baloch nation was passing through a critical stage, and the situation demanded that they should forge unity and frustrate the evil designs of their enemies.