QUETTA: Leaders of the coalition partners of Jam-led provincial government have reacted to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leadership’s decision to choose Quetta as the venue for the first public meeting of the newly-formed opposition alliance and claimed that it would prove to be a flop.

Secretary General of the ruling Balo­chistan Awami Party (BAP), Senator Manzoor Ahmed Kakar, said that the people of Balochistan had already rejected these parties as they had done nothing for development of the country, particularly the province, when in power.

Speaking at a joint press conference along with Mobeen Khliji, an MPA of the PTI, Bushra Rind of the BAP, Liaquat Shahwani, spokesman for the Balochistan government, and Bilal Kakar, coordinator to the chief minister, here on Sunday, Mr Kakar said that holding the public meeting in Quetta was an attempt to worsen law and order situation in the city. He warned that if a law and order situation was created, the law would swing into action.

Leaders of coalition partners urge people to reject ‘enemies of country’

He said that the opposition parties had formed the alliance to save their corruption. He wondered at whose behest the convicted leaders of the PML-N were provoking the people of Balochistan.

He said that India wanted to sabotage development in Balochistan and other parts of the country, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the success of its western route. The opposition parties were playing the role of facilitator.

“When these parties are in government, everything is fine, but after being rejected by the people in 2018 general election, they came up with the allegations of poll rigging.

“I appeal to the youth of Balochistan to reject the enemies of the country on Oct 11,” Senator Kakar said.

Ms Rind termed the PDM leaders “spent cartridge” and said that they were not able to create any problem for the government.

MPA Khliji said that the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) should remember the 2013 elections. “They have forgotten the time when they were elected and criticised each other.”

He said that the PDM was a vested interest group which had been rejected by the people. “Now they are fooling the people.”

He said that earlier Maulana Fazlur Rehman had been betrayed twice (by Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari) and now he would be betrayed for the third time as well.

Mr Shahwani said that the Balochistan government believed in democratic power.

He said that the opposition had the right to hold a public meeting, but they would not be allowed to disturb law and order under its cover.

He said that in the past movements were launched from Lahore and Karachi, but now the people of the two cities had rejected these parties.

Mr Bilal, the chairman of the Balochistan Workers Party, said that the people of the province had rejected the PDM’s plan.

Referring to the PKMAP’s bastion of power, he said that Gulistan was still a backward area and rocket shells were found in the ruins there. Now the youth would not be used anymore, he added.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2020