March, 20 2005	Sunday	09 Safar 1426

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ISLAMABAD, March 19: The parliamentary committee on Balochistan will resume its proceedings on Monday and remain in session till the finalization its report. Talking to newsmen at his residence on Saturday, ruling Pakistan Muslim League president and committee chairman Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said the opposition members on the committee had forced the postponement of its meeting on Thursday without sufficient knowledge of the happenings in Dera Bugti. He said he had discussed with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz the proposed recommendations of the committee and had decided to foil all attempts of sabotaging the finalisation its report. The committee will deliberate on various draft proposals made by various parties, including the PPP Parliamentarians, the PML, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. The proposals about provincial autonomy advanced by the Baloch nationalist leaders are almost similar to those submitted by the MQM envisaging elimination of the Concurrent List and leaving four subjects — defence, currency, foreign affairs and communications — with the centre.

Chaudhry Shujaat endorsed a statement by Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao that there was no soldier present in Dera Bugti but said that as far as the Sui installations were concerned they would be protected at all costs.

He appealed to all opposition leaders and Baloch nationalists to help extinguish the fire instead of fuelling it. He then recited a couplet of the late Habib Jalib, ‘Balochistan jalta hai tau, Pakistan jalta hai’.

In reply to a question, the PML leader said he had been trying for the past one month to establish a direct contact with Nawab Akbar Bugti. He said he had tried to impress upon the veteran leader to beware of the elements who were provoking him and trying to use his good offices to serve their interests.

When asked if there was a foreign hand behind sabotage of political process in Balochistan, he said it would not be prudent to accuse anyone as no one could intrude in others’ affairs unless local people extended cooperation to such elements.

He criticized those leaders from Balochistan who wanted everything, including defence, foreign affairs and finance, in the name of provincial autonomy.