QUETTA: Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) founder and Senator Saeed Ahmed Hashmi on Saturday said that while people affected by floods in Balochistan awaited a saviour, the country’s political elite was engaged in a power struggle instead of helping the victims.

Talking to reporters, Mr Hashmi said people of Balochistan had been mired in problems after being hit by devastating floods and monsoon rains.

He regretted that even in this state of helplessness, they were deprived of the assistance from the federal government, while the performance of provincial institutions was also dismal.

The political leadership, which claimed to represent the Baloch people and custodian of their rights, was an ally in the centre at the moment but it did not stand with the people of Balochistan in this time of need, he added.

He added that the federal government must immediately facilitate international welfare organisations to reach the flood victims and help them.

Mr Hashmi said while people were bracing the devastation left behind after the floods, the uptick in insurgency had further exacerbated their problems.

He said “helpless people” of Balochistan did not want freedom from the state, instead they demanded freedom from their backwardness, unemployment and economic hardships and their right over the coast and resources of the province.

“In order to establish peace in Balochistan and for the sake of national survival and security we will have to review our attitudes,” Mr Hashmi said.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2022