QUETTA: Members of the ruling and opposition parties of Balochistan have decided to jointly hold a demonstration outside the Parliament House in Islamabad on Jan 20 to pressurise security forces and intelligence agencies to recover ANP leader Arbab Zahir Kasi who was kidnapped on October 23.

A delegation of political groups led by Governor Mohammad Khan Achakzai and Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch will also call on the president and prime minister to apprise them of the poor law and order situation in Balochistan.

Speaking at a joint press conference on Friday, representatives of political groups in the province announced that a meeting would be held at the Balochistan House in Islamabad on Jan 19 to finalise arrangements for the demonstration to be held the following day outside the Parliament House.

Those who addressed the press conference included Obaidullah Babat of the PkMAP and adviser to chief minister, Maulana Abdul Wasey of the JUI-F and opposition leader in the provincial assembly, Rashid Nasar of the ANP, Nasir Shahwani of the BNP-M, Shafqat Lango of the National Party and Reza Wakil of the Hazara Democratic Party.

They said they were setting aside political differences to strive jointly against kidnapping for ransom, besides compelling security forces to take action against Mr Kasi’s kidnappers.

Political activists claimed that they had joined hands to send a message across to Islamabad’s powerful elements that ruling and opposition parties were united to combat kidnapping for ransom incidents, continuation of development projects and helping restore peace and tranquillity in the province.