QUETTA: Akhtar Mengal, chief organiser of his faction of the Balochistan National Party (BNP-M), severely criticised all the political parties in the country on Tuesday for supporting the setting up of military courts.

Addressing a press conference, Mr Mengal said that “champions of civil rights had amputated the hand, leg and tongue of democracy by voting in favour of the 21st Amendment at the behest of GHQ”. He noted with satisfaction that his BNP-M was not part of passing the law for setting up military courts.

“The elements who call us undemocratic have themselves violated democratic principles to appease the powerful establishment.”

The BNP leader said there was no change in the political or the law and order situation in Balochistan since the present government came to power as a result of 2013 general elections because security forces allegedly continued to carry out operations in different areas of the province.

He said the operation launched by then military ruler Pervez Musharraf in Baloch-dominated areas of the province was not only going on but had even been intensified by the incumbent government to suppress the political and democratic will of people.

The BNP leader said his party would soon release a white paper on the performance of the provincial government.

He said the present government had not learnt any lesson from history that political movements enjoying the backing of the masses could not be undermined through use of state apparatus. “Recognition of ground realities is the key to bring normalcy to the province.”

Mr Mengal said that restoration of peace and political stability in Balochistan did not depend on the return of angry Balochs, but this required change of mindset of powerful forces that had turned beautiful Balochistan into a ‘graveyard’.

He said Baloch people were facing hardship because targeted killings, dumping of mutilated bodies and enforced disappearances continued unabated due to which the situation remained grave.

The BNP-M chief organiser said his party and Baloch people had rendered sacrifices in the face of oppression, injustice, targeted killings and `undemocratic acts of the usurpers’ who wanted to subdue the voice of innocent people.

He complained that the media had not been highlighting the injustices perpetrated against Baloch people but said that local journalists were not responsible for it because it was the management of TV channels and newspapers who made their policies.

Answering a question, Mr Mengal leader said no one had stopped the government from exposing the foreign hand it claimed was involved in the unrest in Balochistan.

Published in Dawn January 14th , 2015

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