October 04, 2006	Wednesday	Ramazan 10, 1427

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QUETTA, Oct 3: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yousuf has said that the government is ready to hold talks with anyone willing to discuss people’s problems.

He was talking to newsmen at the Chief Minister House here on Tuesday after an iftar dinner he hosted in honour of senior citizens, members of Balochistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), traders and Zamindar Association.

“Our doors are open to all parties willing to have a dialogue purely on people’s problems,” he said.

He said his government never refused to hold meaningful dialogue to create an atmosphere of mutual understanding.

Answering a question, Mr Jousuf said that the government would not allow anybody to take law in his hand.

“The government is making all possible efforts to improve law and order in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan. The incidents of bomb blasts and rocket attacks have reduced,” he said, adding that it was not possible to completely stop such incidents.

To a question, he said it was a well-known fact that all illegal arms and ammunition were coming to Balochistan from Afghanistan. The government of Pakistan had taken up the issue with the international community, besides lodging protest with Afghanistan, he added.

The chief minister rejected an allegation that the Taliban headquarters were operating in Quetta.

“Hamid Karzai spent a long time in this city before becoming the Afghan president. Should we accuse him of being a part of the Taliban movement?” he said.

After the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands of Afghans took refuge in Quatta, like other parts of the country, he said. The government was making all efforts for their honourable repatriation, he said, adding that the government had also sought the United Nations’ help in this regard.

To a question, Mr Yousuf said that if Baloch tribal jirga made positive recommendations for solving people’s problems, the government would definitely consider them.

He said that the jirga was also attended by those Baloch Sardars who never talked of ‘independent Balochistan’. However, elements having such designs were still there, but they would not be allowed to succeed, he added.