QUETTA: Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping and president of the National Party Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo has said that if results of the census are not in favour of the interests of the Baloch people, they will not accept it.

Addressing a public meeting at Mir Gul Khan Naseer Chowk here on Sunday, he said that NP didn’t boycott the census and making the Baloch part of the census was a national obligation.

The NP president said that he didn’t know if the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was in the interest of the Baloch people or not but they were monitoring the project closely.

He said that it should also be kept in mind that the Baloch could not stop the CPEC, so the project should not be made controversial, adding that if Gwadar was to be protected and the fate of the Baloch people had to be changed, then they must become part of the CPEC.

He said that the Baloch were a capable nation as testified by history as they had governed such a large territory for centuries in the past and they could govern and handle Gwadar in future too as the area belonged to the local people as well as other people of Balochistan.

The NP leader said that the Balochistan government should impart technical education to children to prepare them for future challenges.

He said that in order to protect Gwadar and for the sake of their own development and progress, the Baloch would have to become part of the CPEC.

Mir Hasil lashed out at the Balochistan National Party, saying that it couldn’t digest seeing the NP in power and had levelled allegations of treason for breaking the party at the behest of others.

He also criticised a meeting of BNP chief Akhtar Mengal with another leader, saying that the ‘unholy alliance’ was meant only for the getting power.

He said that Mir Gul Khan Naseer had spent 13 years in jail for the rights of Baloch people, but never complained.

He said that NP considered the CPEC a positive step and it was in favour of development of Balochistan.

He claimed and all his party’s leaders were clean and not involved in corrupt practices and challenged his opponents to prove charges of corruption against NP leaders and ministers.

He said relatives of Gul Khan Naseer were now joining the National Party and that was a good sign.

Former chief minister Dr Abdul Malik said that the Baloch people were facing two challenges: one was the CPEC and the other was the census.

“If the establishment converts the Baloch into minority, I and my party will not accept the census,” Dr Malik declared.

He said that the National Party considered the CPEC a positive step which was in the interest of progress and development of Balochistan.

The meeting was addressed among others by Sardar Aslam Bizenjo, Nawab Mohammad Khan Shawani, Mir Tahir Bizenjo, Mir Kabir Mohamad Shahi, Rehmat Saleh Baloch, Sardar Asif Sher Jamaldini and some other leaders.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2017