QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch and Leader of Opposition in the provincial assembly Maulana Abdul Wasey said on Saturday that an all-party conference would be held in Quetta in the next two to three days to evolve a joint strategy to fight terrorism.

Addressing a joint press conference, they condemned the massacre of 22 bus passengers in Mastung district on Friday night and said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was expected to attend the APC.

They termed the incident a conspiracy to pit Baloch people against others and to sabotage the efforts being made to restore peace in the province. The government and opposition parties would jointly foil such conspiracies, they added.

Parliamentary party leaders of PML-Q Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhel and Zamrak Khan Piralizai of ANP, provincial ministers Mohammad Khan Shahwani, Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal and Raza Mohammad Bareach, Chief Secretary Saifullah Chattah and Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani were present at the press conference.

“I talked to the prime minister and he has agreed to attend the APC,” the chief minister said.

The APC was being convened on the demand of the heirs of the Mastung carnage victims to evolve a comprehensive strategy against terrorism, he added.

“We will revisit our security strategy in view of the incidents that took place in Quetta, Mastung, Zhob and other areas.”

He said the state would fulfil its responsibility and provide protection to people. All bus routes would be made safe, he said.

The chief minister and the opposition leader announced that a strike would be observed across the province to express solidarity with the bereaved families. “We appeal to all parties, business community and people of the province to fully take part in the strike and close their businesses for a day.”

The provincial government had announced three days of mourning on Friday.

Dr Baloch said the Mastung incident was a conspiracy against the people of Balochistan and the conspirators wanted to create unrest in the province to achieve their nefarious designs. “But all political parties have decided to foil these designs.”

He said a large number of people staged a sit-in in the `red zone’ to protest against the incident, but Maulana Abdul Wasey, deputy opposition leader Zamrak Khan and Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal persuaded the charged protesters to disperse peacefully.

“All parties saved Quetta from burning today with their unity and positive response. We talked to the protesters jointly and accepted all their six demands.”

The chief minister said the bereaved families would soon get compensation more than the government had paid in other cases. An operation was going on against the killers of bus passengers and elements involved in the inhuman act would be brought to justice soon, he added.

Maulana Wasey said the incident was an international conspiracy to pit brother against brother in Balochistan.

“Our enemy countries wanted bloodshed in Balochistan through such conspiracies, but with the help and cooperation of the people we will foil these attempts,” he said.

The Maulana said those involved in this inhuman act could not be Baloch or Muslim because they had killed innocent people who had no enmity with the killers.

Provincial Information Minister Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal vowed to fight jointly against such elements. He thanked relatives of the victims and other people for showing restraint despite suffering such a big tragedy.

PML-Q parliamentary leader Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhel said India should restrain its agents from carrying out terrorism in Pakistan.

“The conspiracy has been foiled by the people of Pakistan by showing magnanimity and rising above personal loss.”

Zamrak Khan termed the Mastung incident a conspiracy against the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play