July 26, 2008	Saturday	Rajab 22, 1429

QUETTA, July 25: A call for strike by the Baloch Republican Party received a lukewarm response in southern and western Balochistan.

However, the party’s secretary-general Dr Bashir Azeem described the overall response ‘encouraging’, and said that the Baloch business community had joined the strike to condemn the oppression of troops in Dera Bugti and other areas of Balochistan.

He claimed that the strike was observed in Nushki, Dalbandin, Taftan, Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar, Hub, Gwadar, Panjgur, Turbat, Sibi, Dera Murad Jamali, Dera Allahyar and Kankot. He thanked the people, particularly traders for observing the strike.

The Balochistan National Party (Mengal) and the National Party had backed the strike call.

CONFERENCE: The Balochistan National Party (Mengal) will hold an ‘All-Balochistan political parties conference’ on Saturday to discuss the situation in Dera Bugti and Kohlu.

The Jamhoori Watan Party and the BRP have decided not to attend the conference while the Pakistan People’s Party, Jamait Ulema Islam-F and the Balochistan National Party (Awami) have not been invited.

A statement issued here on Friday by the BNP-M said that the JWP, BRP, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, National Party, Awami National Party, PML-N, Tehrik-i-Insaaf, Hazara Democratic Party and Jamaat-i-Islami had been invited to the conference. Representatives of the Balochistan Bar Association and civil society have also been invited.