June 22, 2006	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 25, 1427

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QUETTA, June 21: The Pakistan Oppressed Nations’ Movement (Ponam) has demanded that the government should stop military operations in Balochistan and Waziristan and resolve issues through negotiations.

Addressing a press conference held at the press club on Wednesday, Mukhtar Khan Yousufzai, provincial president of the Ponam Pukhtun unit alleged that terrorists in the tribal areas on behest of federal intelligence agencies were interfering in the affairs of Afghanistan.

He said that all terrorist elements should be expelled from Waziristan and tribal areas to protect life and property of the people.

He said that Ponam was struggling for the rights of Pukhtun, Baloch, Sindhi and Seraiki people. Without recognizing the right of oppressed nationalities over their resources there could be no political stability in the country, he added.

Mr Yousufzai alleged that the big province was exploiting the resources of the other three provinces and said that the nationalist alliance’s main objective was to establish democratic system so that all nationalities should get equal rights in the federation.

He said that Pukhtuns were administratively divided into five different areas and Ponam was struggling to bring them under one administrative province, which should be named as Pukhtunkhwa, Pukhtunistan or Afghania so that Pukhtuns should have their identity.