March, 24 2005	Thursday	13 Safar 1426

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ISLAMABAD, March 23: The parliamentary committee constituted to put forward constitutional and administrative measures to break the ongoing political impasse in Balochistan will hold its meeting at the parliament house at 3pm today (Thursday). The committee is expected to examine the findings of a team, comprising treasury and opposition MPs, which visited Sui and Dera Bugti on Tuesday and met Nawab Akbar. Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who is chairman of the committee, will preside over the meeting.

Meanwhile, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Wednesday contacted Nawab Akbar Bugti who, according to sources, invited him to visit Dera Bugti for talks.

The sources said Chaudhry Shujaat was likely to visit Dera Bugti in the next couple of days to meet Nawab Akbar Bugti and evolve a strategy to resolve the crisis facing Balochistan.

Earlier, Nawab Bugti in his meting with the MPs delegation had said that Chaudhry Shujaat and Mushahid Hussain were sincere in their endeavours to resolve the crisis but they lacked powers.

Proceedings of the parliamentary committee, which had representation from both treasury and opposition sides, had been marred after the boycott of Baloch nationalist parties which were unlikely to attend Thursday’s meeting. Other opposition members might also put fresh conditions to take part in the proceedings, sources told Dawn.

Earlier, the committee was scheduled to meet on Monday but the meeting had to be postponed to allow the MPs team to visit the troubled areas and put forward suggestions to end the imbroglio.

All the four members from nationalist parties — Senator Amanullah Kanrani of the Jamhoori Watan Party, MNA Rauf Mengal and Senator Sanaullah Baloch of the Balochistan National Party and Senator Aslam Buledi of the National Party — have resigned from the committee in protest against what they said raids and arrests of people in Sui and deployment of troops.

Other opposition members are also likely to register protest against the government’s failure to bring the situation as it stood on Jan 3.

Talking to Dawn, Leader of the Opposition in Senate Mian Raza Rabbani of the People’s Party Parliamentarians, who is also a member of the parliamentary committee, said the opposition members particularly those belonging to his party would first seek confirmation that the government had taken steps to normalize the situation as had bee demanded earlier.

He said the opposition would call for inviting the members of the MPs team which visited Balochistan to depose before the committee about its findings.

He said the opposition had demanded relocation of troops to the Jan 3 position and it would ensure that the demand was met before the meeting began.

Responding to a question, Mr Rabbani expressed doubts over the statement of Chaudhry Shujaat that President Musharraf had given him full powers to offer maximum concessions while preparing a constitutional package for resolving the Balochistan crisis.

“If the government is serious in resolving the issue then it has to take calculated risks and peace overtures have to be shown from its side and not from Nawab Akbar Bugti,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, Rauf Mengal of the BNP told Dawn that there was no question of participation by his party in the committee proceedings as long as the situation did not return to the position of Jan 3.

He said the commitment of the three Baloch nationalist parties’ legislators was with their people.

He said Baloch parties demand was simple; release the detained people, withdraw cases registered against party leaders and workers, withdraw armed forces to reduce tension in Dera Bugti and create conditions conducive for talks.