January 6, 2006	Friday	Zilhaj 5, 1426

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QUETTA, Jan 5: Opposition parties on Wednesday criticized MMA ministers for abstaining from provincial assembly session. Opposition leaders were speaking at a press conference and a protest rally after the speaker prorogued the special session requisitioned by opposition citing lack of quorum.

They denounced what they termed the MMA’s duplicituous policy of passing a resolution in the NWFP assembly on the Kohlu issue but unwilling to discuss it in the Balochistan Assembly.

They accused MMA members of being absent from the session to sabotage efforts for a peaceful resolution of the Kohlu and Dera Bugti issue and strengthening what they termed the Mullah-Military Alliance.

Opposition leaders Kachkol Ali, MPAs Nawab Aslam Raisani (PPP-P), Sardar Sanaullah Zehri (NP), Abdur Rahim ziaratwal (PMAP), Mir Saleem Khoso (JWP), Mir Akbar Mengal (BNP-M) addressed the news conference. Rauf Lala, Habib Jalib Baloch, Mir Hamayun Marri, Dr Shama Ishaq, Nizamuddin Kakar, Amanullah Baloch, Ibrahim Hazara and Nazar Baloch spoke at the rally.

Nationalist leaders accused the coalition parties — PML-Q, MMA and BNP-ANP – of wilfully abstaining from the assembly session. They said the move was aimed at discouraging political process.

They said that they had not expected the PML members to attend the session as the party had always supported the federal government’s anti-Balochistan policies. The move, they said, exposed the chief minister’s claim that the Balochistan issue should be resolved politically.

Nationalist leaders distributed copies of resolution adopted by the NWFP Assembly against the military operation in Kohlu and reminded that Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Qazi Hussain Ahmed had condemned hostilities in Kohlu and Dera bugti but MMA ministers had adopted a different attitude.

They declared that they would not beg for a cease-fire in Kohlu and Dera Bugti areas and said they were confident that the “people would defeat aggressors” and accused that the “invading forces” wanted to capture oil and gas reservoirs in Balochistan.

The rally adopted five resolutions. The first one called for halting the military operation in Kohlu and Dera Bugti areas and resolving the issue through peaceful political means. The second one rejected the proposed Kalabagh dam and stressed upon all quarters concerned to abandon the project. Another resolution called for shelving the Gwadar mega project. Still another one called for stopping the abolition of the levies system while the fifth called upon the government to free all political detainees.

Four-party Baloch Alliance, ARD, Ponam, ANP, Hazara Democratic Party and Tehrik Insaf organized the procession and rally outside the Balochistan Assembly.