January 20, 2006	Friday	Zilhaj 19, 1426

KARACHI, Jan 19: Balochistan National Party chief Akhtar Mengal has criticized the statement of President Musharraf on Balochistan and blamed the army for making the entire country hostage at gunpoint after the takeover of Oct 12, 1999.

Expressing his reaction over President’s address to the nation, the BNP leader said it were not the Baloch sardars, but it was the army which had put the country’s integrity in jeopardy by its ill-advised policies.

In this regard, he referred to the Baujor incident where he said a foreign country violated country’s airspace and attacked civilians. This incident, Mengal argued, had shattered the image of Pakistan as a sovereign state.

He maintained Pakistan had always paid high price for one-man rule in the past and once again the country is being ruled by an individual whose power is based on his uniform and has no constitutional authority.

Akhtar Mengal referred to the East Pakistan’s tragedy, and argued that the army’s role in Balochistan was not surprising.

He said that his struggle for sovereign rights of Balochs would continue and there would be no compromise on it.

He said that President Musharraf was trying to mislead people but he had miserably failed in his attempts.

He claimed that there was no let-off in the conflict and with every passing day, the situation continues to deteriorate.