QUETTA: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) released on Wednesday a former home minister of Balochistan, Nawabzada Gazain Marri, on bail in a case about his alleged links with banned Baloch organisations after hearing arguments of his lawyer and the prosecutor.

The judge of the Quetta ATC, Justice Dawood Nasar, heard the bail application of Mr Marri, the son of the late Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, filed by his lawyer Arbab Tahir, and ordered his release.

The court also ordered Mr Marri to deposit a Rs300,000 surety bond. Last month, he was granted bail in the Justice Nawaz Marri murder case by a district and sessions court.

Talking to journalists after his release, Mr Marri said that after adoption of the 18th Amendment, the provincial government was given special powers, but it was not aware of its powers and its leaders were only busy amassing wealth for themselves instead of working for the welfare and prosperity of the people of Balochistan.

Accuses govt of doing nothing for the masses

“There are serious issues in Balochistan, but the government didn’t make any effort to address them and its leaders are only making various claims on TV shows to distract the people’s attention,” Mr Marri said.

The former home minister said that insurgencies existed also during the governments of Gen Ayub Khan and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, but the ongoing insurgency was a more serious and intense one.

“When there is disunity among the masses, enemies definitely take advantage of it and we can’t rule out the foreign hand in fuelling terrorism in Balochistan, but we have to first analyse what efforts our provincial government has made to handle this situation.”

In response to a question about his future plans, he said he had not taken any decision on the issue so far.

“There are only two national-level political parties, but my decision will be in favour of the people of Balochistan,” he said.

Mr Marri returned to Pakistan on Sept 22 after ending his 18-year self-exile, but was arrested by law-enforcement agencies as soon as he returned home.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2017