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| May 25, 2005 | Wednesday | Rabi-us-Sani 16, 1426 |
ARD plans meeting on Balochistan
ISLAMABAD, May 24: The opposition Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) will organize a “Balochistan conference” in Islamabad to work out a political solution to crisis in the province. This was announced by the alliance’s secretary general Iqbal Zafar Jhagra after a meeting of the ARD leadership here on Tuesday. He said all political parties belonging to Balochistan province would be invited to the conference, adding that its date would be announced later.
Mr Jhagra demanded withdrawal of troops from Balochistan, and said: “Military operations are no solution to the problems being faced by the people of Balochistan.”
He said an ARD delegation which had recently visited Dera Bugti found the situation in the province quite serious and alarming. He said Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) chief Nawab Akbar Bugti had briefed the ARD delegation on the meetings between him and ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain. Mr Bugti, he said, told them that Chaudhry Shujaat had not fulfilled promises made during his visits to Dera Bugti.
Mr Jhagra said the ARD had decided to continue its mass mobilization campaign against the government and a public meeting would be held in Abbottabad in the third week of June.
He said an ARD delegation would soon visit all political prisoners in the country and strive for their early release. He urged the government to withdraw ‘false cases’ against Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani and Afaq Ahmed.
The ARD secretary general said that the alliance would not accept any elections if Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were kept out of the process. He said if the government sincerely wanted a reconciliation with the opposition it must allow Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto to return to Pakistan.
Meanwhile, a source in the ARD told Dawn that at one point during the meeting, the leaders of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) traded allegations and accused each other of trying to strike a deal with Gen Pervez Musharraf.
PML-N leaders Raja Zafarul Haq and Syed Zafar Ali Shah, the source said, asked the PPP leadership to clarify its position about reports of talks between the party and the government. The PML-N leaders were of the view that the PPP-government talks were damaging for the ARD.
At this point, the source said, a PPP office-bearer tauntingly told the PML-N leaders that everyone knew that Hamza Shahbaz, son of Shahbaz Sharif, was in contact with the regime.
The PPP leaders, however, said the party was holding talks with the government on principles and it would not strike any deal unilaterally. The sources said that there were differences between the PPP and the PML-N on the issue of participation in the protest day called by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on May 27 against the desecration of Holy Quran by US troops in the Guantanamo Bay detention centre. The PML-N was in favour of full participation in MMA protest rallies while the PPP was against the idea.
While briefing reporters Mr Jhagra, avoided mentioning MMA and said that the ARD would support the call of the international community to observe a protest day on May 27 against the desecration of Holy Quran.
PPP spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar, when contacted, categorically stated that his party condemned the Guantanamo Bay incident, but it would in no way take part in any meeting with the MMA.
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