April 10, 2006	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 11, 1427

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QUETTA, April 9: Police on Sunday arrested 34 people on the charge of attacking army vehicles and blocking a road in Wadh area of Khuzdar district. According to sources, two FIRs have been registered by Wadh police against 27 people, including some local political leaders.

“So far we have arrested 34 people in Wadh while further investigation is in progress,” DIG Kalat Range Pervez Zahoor told Dawn. He said that the army personnel injured in the attack had nominated 13 people in the first FIR while in the second FIR 14 people had been accused of blocking national highway and displaying illegal arms.

Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Secretary K. B. Rind, Inspector General Police Chaudhary Mohammad Yaqoob and other officials concerned visited the area where five army personnel had been injured in an atack.

The chief secretary said that the government was taking all possible measures to ensure smooth and safe flow of traffic on the RCD highway.

According to reports received here, heavy contingents of Frontier Corps, police and levies have been deployed in the area and pickets have been set up on hilltops to ensure safety of people using the RCD highway.

Our Correspondent adds: Senator Israrullah Zehri, chief of the Balochistan National Party (Awami), has condemned the attack on an army convoy near Wadh and termed the incident a cowardly act.

In a statement issued here on Sunday, he said that dialogue and not violence was the best mechanism to resolve issues.

Senator Zehri urged the government to take stern action against elements behind the attack and said that no one, irrespective of his social status, was above the law.

He said that rule of the law should be upheld, adding that anti-social elements would be encouraged if the people who had attacked the convoy were not punished.

Mir Zehri warned that people would themselves stand up against subversive elements if the government hesitated in taking action against saboteurs.

Senator Zehri urged anti-government forces to sort out the Balochistan issue through dialogue to and restore people’s trust on political leaders.