January 10, 2006	Tuesday	Zilhaj 9, 1426

KARACHI, Jan 9: Secretary-General of the National Party Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo has said that the situation in Balochistan has turned more serious as the operation has been extended to more Baloch areas.

He was talking to Dawn before leaving the city for his native village, Nal, after returning from Lahore, where the government did not allow ARD leaders to stage a protest rally against the military operation in Balochistan.

Mr Bizenjo observed that there had been no change in the attitude government so far. On the contrary, he noted, the operation had been extended to more Bugti and Marri areas, as well as Bolan district.

Commenting on the MQM’s ultimatum and the party’s statement about the outcome, the NP leader recalled that the MQM had issued a similar statement when the government had launched an operation in Sui area in March last.

He said the MQM members had neither quit the government offices nor did they resign from their assembly membership.

The NP leader, however, maintained that it was the responsibly of the MQM leadership to tell the people of Pakistan that what sort of assurances they had been given by the president or prime minister with regard to the Kalabagh Dam and the Balochistan operation.

Surprisingly, Mir Bizenjo said, there was no policy statement from the government side while ministers continued to say that the army action against miscreants would go on.

The NP leader advised the MQM leadership not to issue such statements on a sensitive issue, like Balochistan operation. “If it is serious in resolving the issue, it should stand by its public statement, otherwise people would consider it as a joke.”