QUETTA: Former president and Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardar said on Tuesday that the wounds of Balochistan were still fresh and nothing was being done to heal them.

He was talking to reporters at the residence of former deputy speaker of the Balochistan Assembly Mir Abdul Qadoos Bizenjo in Hub on Tuesday.

Mr Zardari specially came to Hub town to offer his condolences to Mr Bizenjo on the death of his cousin, Levies Risaldar Bashir Bizenjo who was murdered in Hub town a few months ago.

The former president said the country could not be made strong by dividing people on different issues. He said problems of people were increasing due to wrong polices of the government.

Mr Zardari said when he was president of the country he had surrendered his powers voluntarily to strengthen the democratic system and institutions in the country.

Mr Zardari claimed that the previous PPP government had laid down the foundation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and planned projects for the development of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that no significant development was seen in Balochistan. The PPP government, he said, had announced special development package for the province.

The former president criticised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and said his government had failed to solve problems of people.

Answering a question, he said that it was an open secret that India had influence over the Afghanistan government because of which it was speaking against Pakistan. He said all political forces should take part in the multi-party conference called by the PPP.

Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, Mir Abdul Majeed Bizenjo, Mir Jan Moham­mad Khan Jamali, Mir Amanullah Notezai, Mir Faiq Ali Jamali, Tahir Mehmood, Agha Shahbaz Durrani, Mir Mohammad Ali Rind, Mir Aslam Buledi, Mir Zahoor Buledi, Ali Madad Jattak, Mohammad Akbar Lasi, Sardar Omer Gorgaj and other leaders were present on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2017