March, 20 2005	Sunday	09 Safar 1426

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QUETTA, March 19: The Balochistan cabinet on Saturday decided to set up a broad-based peace committee and tasked it to ensure peace in Dera Bugti, check a repeat of unpleasant incidents in the future and promote political reconciliation in the province. Presided over by Chief Minister Jam Mohammad Yousuf, the cabinet also decided to invite tribal elders, influential personalities, and opposition and treasury members to join the peace committee. Names of the committee members would be announced later. The committee would meet political leaders of Balochistan, including Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, for ensuring peace and harmony in the province, the cabinet decided. While reviewing the Dera Bugti situation, the cabinet described events of last two days there as attempts to sabotage the process of political reconciliation in the province. It observed that some elements were trying to create a law and order situation in the province by using the incident, “which is neither in the interest of the province nor its people”.

It expressed the view that public meetings and demonstrations were a democratic right of political parties but these should be held in a way as not challenging the government’s writ or harming the traditional harmony in politics.

The cabinet took serious note of armed demonstrations in front of the Balochistan Assembly “to disrupt peace and dishonour the house” and decided not to allow such rallies in the future. It hoped that the political parties would cooperate with the government in this regard.

The meeting expressed satisfaction over the gradual return of normalcy in Dera Bugti and hoped that the two sides would resume their previous positions.

The cabinet expressed sorrow over the loss of precious lives of FC personnel and other people in the incident and offered Fateha for the departed souls.

It condemned the bomb blast in a train near Mach and described it as an attempt to disrupt peace.