ISLAMABAD: Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Malik Baloch said on Saturday that he had failed to bring estranged nationalist leaders to the negotiating table, but vowed to continue his reconciliation efforts.

Speaking at a news conference here, the chief minister also admitted that he had been unable to convene a multi-party conference on the Balochistan issue, something he had been asked nearly a year ago by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

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Senator Hasil Bizenjo, whose National Party heads the ruling coalition in Balochistan, was also present. The chief minister also criticised opposition parties, particularly the PTI, for raising a hue and cry over the appointment of the son of the former chief justice on a key post in the province.

When asked about attempts to reconcile with nationalist leaders, the chief minister said: “So far there has been no progress and we have not yet made any major attempts”.

“We will continue our efforts, whether they accept them or not,” he said, adding, “We come from two different schools of thought. They talk about independence through the use of force and we are democratic people.”

Mr Baloch claimed the law and order situation in Balochistan had improved and development activities had picked up pace in his first year as chief minister.

He said peace had been established in 90 per cent of the province. But at the same time, he acknowledged that during meetings of the Council of Common Interests (CII), his government had opposed the holding of a census due to security fears.

He feared that militants could strike if such an exercise was carried out and stressed the need to resolve the issue of Afghan refugees before carrying out a census.

In response to a query about the attacks on pilgrims on their way to Iran, the chief minister simply said: “It is not possible to provide 100 per cent protection to the pilgrims over 700 kilometres.”

However, the chief minister said they had offered pilgrims the option to fly to the Iranian city of Mashhad from Quetta on subsidised fares.

Hasil Bizenjo interrupted the chief minister and claimed that the recent attack on the pilgrims at Taftan was the first such incident reported in the area. Moreover, he said, pilgrims from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province had not given prior intimation to the Balochistan government about their travel plans.

Mr Bizenjo said the chief minister had appointed Arsalan Iftikhar, the son of former chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, at Arsalan’s request.

He regretted that the opposition had made it a major issue and linked it with the alleged rigging in last year’s general elections.

The NP leader particularly took the PTI to task for linking Arsalan’s appointment with the Reko Diq gold mine project. He said they might make mistakes, but their intentions should not be in doubt. He also said that after Arsalan Iftikhar’s resignation, the propaganda campaign should also come to an end.

The two NP leaders warned that undemocratic forces were actively working to derail democracy and end the parliamentary system. They called for unity amongst democratic forces to thwart such designs.

Mr Bizenjo said people such as Dr Tahirul Qadri had no place in their province. He also defended his party’s decision to support the Protection of Pakistan Bill in parliament, saying the law was required to fight terrorism effectively.

APP adds: Seantor Bizenjo said that though he had personal ties with Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, his party stood with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and did not support Shujaat’s decision to align himself with the Pakistan Awami Tehreek.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2014