July 20, 2006	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 23, 1427

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QUETTA, July 19: Former Balochistan chief minister Sardar Akhtar Mengal has said that the Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement (Ponam) and four-party Baloch Alliance would meet on Thursday to chalk out a strategy against what he called government’s extra-constitutional measures.

He was addressing a press conference at the Mengal House here on Wednesday.

The leader of the Balochistan National Party (Mengal group) said that they would also discuss the possibility of calling an all-party conference over the issue.

Criticising intelligence agencies, he said that they were harassing and victimising families of Baloch nationalist leaders, raising voice against the government’s excesses.

The BNP leader claimed that during the past week, intelligence agencies had kidnapped Mir Murtaza Bugti and Bilal Bugti in Karachi, Mir Ghaffar Lango in Mastung and two brothers of Senator Sanaullah Baloch in Quetta, adding that such acts would not affect the political struggle of the Baloch people.

He was accompanied by Obaidullah Baloch, brother of Senator Sanaullah Baloch, who told newsmen that he had been saved by the Military Police (MP) from unidentified men, who had taken away his brother, Samiullah Baloch.

He said that he and Samiullah were returning home on the evening of July 16 when their car was chased near airport by two cars.

Mr Obaidullah said that he succeeded in parking his vehicle near the MP’s checkpost but the armed men had taken away Samiullah.

He said that he had been injured in the incident.

He asserted the armed men had insisted upon the personnel of the military police to hand him over to them but they had refused.

He said that during telephonic conversation MP officials mentioned the names of Major Shahid and Rizwan besides mentioning MI, adding that he had been detained till the morning of July 17. He said that he had lodged an FIR in the Bijli police station.