QUETTA, Jan 19: Leader of opposition in the Balochistan Assembly, Kachkol Ali Baloch, has criticised the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) over “misleading the people in the name of religion”. He claimed that the party had developed, behind the scenes, a working relationship with President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

In a statement he accused the provincial amir of the JUI-F, Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani of supporting military rulers for seeking release of two provincial ministers from jail, who had been arrested in NAB cases.

Mr Baloch said the nationalists had never, directly or indirectly, supported the Musharraf government, while the MMA legislators had backed the president on the 17th amendment through a deal after compromising on the rights of people.

He claimed that the MMA ministers staged the drama of boycotting the session of Balochistan assembly last year to seek financial assistance for the province but in reality the move was aimed at exerting pressure on the government to save their nazims and councillors from being disqualified.

He further said Maulana Sherani and his ministers in the Jam coalition government supported the military operation in Balochistan in which hundreds of innocent people, including Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, were killed.

Mr Baloch said the JUI-F ministers were involved in anti-Baloch policies of the federal government and maintained that the religious party ministers claiming to be the champion of Islam did not condemn the arrest of thousands of Baloch political workers in the province.

MURDER CASE: A division bench of the Balochistan High Court has acquitted three accused who were convicted in a murder case.