July 11, 2008	Friday	Rajab 7, 1429

KARACHI, July 10: The chief of the National Party, Dr Hayee Baloch, has accused the PPP government of pursuing the policy of the previous government regarding the Balochistan issue.

Describing the current situation as grim, the former senator condemned the government’s recent onslaught against the Baloch people in Dera Bugti and Marri areas. He said that it seemed as if the Baloch people were not the citizens of the Pakistan.

“There is no change in the policy of the present government as far as the troubled province is concerned. We believe that the present government is a mere extension of the Musharraf regime”, he said.

The NP chief arrived here on Thursday to brief his party officials and workers about the current political situation in the province.

Talking to Dawn after the meeting, the NP leader deplored that hundreds of Baloch people in Bugti and Marri areas had been targeted in the offensive that had resulted in heavy casualties and mass destruction.

The victims included women, children and the elderly, he said, adding that a large number of families had been forced to flee their ancestral land.

Dr Baloch said that instead of releasing the Baloch activists who were reportedly in the custody of intelligence agencies, the government had again started arresting more Baloch activists.

The NP chief alleged that all these actions against the Baloch population were aimed at plundering the province’s natural resources. Dr Baloch also criticised the threatening language recently used by President Pervez Musharraf against the Baloch nationalists in which he had described the ongoing struggle in Balochistan as a ‘separatist movement’ .

He made it clear that Baloch people would never compromise on their legitimate right of self-governance.

In view of the prevailing situation in Balochistan, the NP leader appealed to the democratic forces of the country and the members of civil society to help stop the atrocities being committed by the rulers against the Baloch people.

“If the central government is not prepared to equitably distribute national resources at this juncture, then who knows what will happen to Balochistan. The central government must treat us with the respect that all citizens of the federation deserve. We cannot be treated like a minority group”, the Baloch leader remarked.

He also urged the government to shun the policy of colonization of Gwadar and called for handing over the mega projects under the control of the provincial government.