QUETTA: Veteran politician Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch has formed a new political party with the name of National Democratic Party.

Speaking at a press conference here on Thursday, he said his party will unite oppressed nationalities and working class on scientific lines on one platform to defeat undemocratic thinking and anti-people narrative.

“The party will unite pro-democratic forces across the country,” he said.

Mr Baloch said that for the past 70 years the people of Balochistan struggled and affiliated with nationalist politics for their identity and achievement of rights. During this period, political elders, students, youths, writers and intellectuals remained in jails and faced atrocities. They played the role of frontline fighters in the nationalist politics and struggle and never abandoned their mission, he added.

He said that a large number of political workers were still among missing persons.

Says National Democratic Party will unite oppressed communities and working class on one platform

Mr Baloch, who was elected as a member of the National Assembly in 1970, said that the people of Balochistan were still deprived of their rights.

He said the people of Gwadar were facing serious water shortage and precious 800km coastline land had been allotted to the capitalists, big tycoons and many institutions.

The fishermen of Gwadar had been deprived of their centuries’ old livelihood by construction of Eastbay Expressway, while the growers of Nasirabad and Jaffarabad districts were facing financial problems as they were not getting agriculture water from Pat Feeder and Keerthar canals, he added.

“Numerous growers and Zamindars have migrated to other areas of the country due to this situation in Nasirabad, Jaffarabad and Bagh.” Despite having mineral and other precious resources in Balochistan the people of the province have no other option but to spend life below the poverty line, he added.

Mr Baloch said that in these circumstances there was a need to form a new political party to bring all democratic and nationalist forces at one platform to launch a joint struggle for achievement of rights.

He announced a 15-member central organising committee. Dr Hayee Baloch will be organiser, while Shahzaib Baloch, advocate, will be his deputy. Other members of the committee are Mir Iqbal Zehri, Sanaullah Baloch, Sher Ahmed Qambrani, Naimatullah Shah Baloch, Sanaullah Ababki, Dr Bahadur Shah, Changez Hayee Baloch, advocate, Sohail Baloch, Mir Bahadur Khan Khaitran, Abdul Rehman, Mukhi Radhay Sham, Waheed Baloch and Agha Gharib Shah.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2018