RAWALPINDI: An armed rebellion has been started in the Lasbela district, about 60 miles from Karachi across the Hub river, since yesterday [Jan 25], by 400 to 500 riflemen and fighting is going on between them and the men of the District Levies and the Militia. This was stated by the Governor of Baluch­is­tan, Mr Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo, at a hurriedly called Press conference here this afternoon.

Alleging that the Central Home Minister, Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan, had a hand in it, Mr Bizenjo said he had informed the President of the whole situation. … He felt that this was a continuation of last month’s armed raids in the Pat Feeder area, and feared that attempts may be made to create similar troubles in Dera Bugti, Sui and other areas.

The purpose of all this, he said, was to overthrow the elected and constitutional Govern­m­ent of Balochistan. He said all the vested int­erests in Baluchistan and Mir Nabi Bakhsh Zehri and other leaders of the Qayyum Lea­gue had joined hands under the protection of the Central Home Minister against the Prov­i­n­cial Government. They included former rulers of the princely states and those who felt thr­eatened by reforms against the Sardari system and coal mines and those ejected from the Pat Feeder area.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2023