KHUZDAR: Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) president Sardar Akhtar Mengal has said that Baloch tribal chiefs do not oppose development and education in their areas.

He was speaking on Thursday at the inauguration ceremony of the Wadh campus of the Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences, for which he had donated 100 acres of land.

Mr Mengal was happy to note that 40 girls of the area had been admitted to the Wadh campus of the Lasbela University.

The campus was inaugurated by federal Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal who also inaugurated the campus of the Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University in Khuzdar.

“We are demanding basic needs (for people) but the government declares us anti-development and -education,” Sardar Mengal said. He said Islamabad must give rights to the Baloch, Pakhtun, Hazara and other communities living in Balochistan. “I consider settlers living in the province as Balochistanis and we will also take care of their rights,” the BNP-M chief said.

Referring to the situation prevailing in the province, he said Balochistan had become a dump of explosives as no place was safe there. Even mosques and Imambargahs came under attack.

He advised the rulers and state organs to learn a lesson from past mistakes and “put a hand on the head of the angry Baloch”. He said that even if angry Baloch leaders did not want negotiations, the state should “behave like an elder” (of a family).

“The institutions concerned should change their attitude if they want to save the country,” he said.

Mr Mengal said that his father was jailed for 10 years for talking about the rights of the people. “If the government wants to send me to jail, I will accept it, but will never compromise on the rights of Balochistan.”

Speaking on the occasion, Ahsan Iqbal, who is also chairman of the Planning Commission, said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leadership and government wanted to resolve the issues of Balochistan jointly with the leaders of the province.

He praised Sardar Akhtar Mengal for having donated 100 acres for the university campus and said that other tribal chiefs should also come forward and follow his footsteps.

Mr Iqbal said the PML-N leadership was struggling for strengthening democracy as in the presence of strong democracy all problems would be solved according to the will of the people.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2017