January 23, 2006	Monday	Zilhaj 22, 1426

KARACHI, Jan 22: Rich tributes were paid to the slain leader of the Karachi-based Baloch Ittehad Tehrik (BIT), Anwar Bhaijan, for his services to the cause of Baloch people at a gathering held here on Sunday to mark his first death anniversary. The public meeting, held at Chawkiwara, was addressed by representatives of different parties who described the late leader as ‘a symbol of unity and peace’.

They criticized the government’s indifferent attitude towards the gruesome killing of Anwar Bhaijan and demanded arrest of killers and stern action against the mafia involved.

Those who spoke on the occasion were Senator Moeen Khan from Balochistan, PPP MPA Rafiq Engineer, Haji Mohammad Yunis of PML-Q, Comrade Lal Bakhsh Rind of the National Workers Party, BIT Chairman Hanif Baloch, Prof Ali Mohammad Shaheen and Nasir Baloch of the Lawyers Forum and Sorab Baloch.

Most of the speakers condemned the ongoing military operation in Balochistan. They urged the government to stop the same immediately and find a political solution to the problem.

They also criticized the government’s policies vis-à-vis Baloch people, saying that they were being neglected in every part of Pakistan. They stressed on justice and fair play.

A resolution adopted at the meeting deplored that Bhaijan’s killers had not been arrested one year after his assassination. It slammed the law-enforcement and investigation agencies and called for a judicial probe into the killing.