QUETTA, April 5: Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti has vowed to continue his struggle for the rights of Baloch people and said that nobody could stop him from playing this role. Talking to newsmen over telephone from his native town, Dera Bugti, he said. “Nobody can restrict any person from his politics or daily life. There is no law in Pakistan for imposing such restrictions. Everybody has the right to go anywhere he likes,” Nawab Bugti said.

Referring to the speech of President Gen Pervez Musharraf in Kalat in which he advised the Sardars to restrict themselves to their constituency, Mr Bugti said that General Sahib should also honour the desire of the people and restrict himself to the General Headquarters (GHQ). He said that people of the country were not with him and it was their desire to restrict Gen Pervez Musharraf to the GHQ.

He said that he had not claimed himself to be the elected or selected leader of Balochistan but if the people paid heed to his advice then he could not stop them from doing so.

He said that he would continue to play his role whenever he found the Baloch people to be in difficulty. “My soul will be with the Baloch people and nobody can snatch this right from me,” he said.

The chief of the Jamhoori Watan Party said that if he failed in his efforts it wouldn’t mean that he had not made efforts. “Our way is blocked by powerful rulers and we have not abandoned our struggle,” Nawab Bugti said.

“Our relationship with Baloch people is like father and son, mother and son, sister and brother, and nobody could end this relationship,” he said.

Replying to a question, he said that Gen Pervez Musharraf was repeatedly saying that he would give a share to Balochistan beyond the expectations of the people but so far he had not given anything.

He wondered that since Gen Musharraf was enjoying all powers who was restricting him from giving a share to Balochistan.